Damian Lillard’s time with the Blazers will come to no end.
After a heartbreaking series of trades involving longtime backcourt partner CJ McCollum and a few other important star role pieces apart of the Blazers team, Dame made it known that his loyalty remains with the Blazers.
The star duo had been together since 2013-2014 but hadn’t reached the peak of their potential until McCollum’s MIP season back in 2015-2016. Despite making the playoffs every season since acquiring McCollum, hardships always presented themselves in the postseason.
Following the trade that sent McCollum, Larry Nance Jr, and Tony Snell to the Pelicans, Trail Blazers insider Casey Holdhal spoke with Lillard about the current state of the franchise and how he is handling his surgical recovery on his abdominal injury.
“For me, my heart is Portland Trail Blazer. I want to win it. I know that I have a plan that’s going to put me on my best level when I come back to play. And I want our team to fit that,” Lillard said per Blazers.com. “I’m just waiting patiently to let things unfold and allow him to execute his plan. Once we get there and we see what that looks like and what that is, then I’ll have, I guess, more feelings than I have now, but you’ve got to allow him to do his job and see what that finished product is. That’s just where I am.” Blazers.com.
Lillard told Holdahl that he and McCollum had had conversations in the past about how their breakup could be imminent.
“This is something that me and C, we talked about it over the years, like, this being a possibility,” Lillard said. “But time went on, we both knew that it’s going to come a point where we might not be a backcourt anymore, whether that was him getting traded or me getting traded.
Being that the six-time All-Star has been in and out of the lineup this season with an abdominal injury, it is still unclear when, or if, Lillard will return this season.
