Damian Lillard, Agent, Meeting In-Person With Trail Blazers To Talk Future, Says Report

PORTLAND, OREGON – JANUARY 05: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers talks with interim general manager Joe Cronin before the game against the Miami Heat at Moda Center on January 05, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

By 750 THE GAME STAFF

Damian Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin had an in-person meeting with Trail Blazers brass on Monday, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

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The meeting was to “discuss the franchise’s direction,” Haynes said in a tweet Monday morning.

Lillard has said on the record his desire for a contending roster to be built in Portland to give him a chance to win a championship.

General manager Joe Cronin has said on multiple occasions that his goal is to do exactly that — build a contending roster around Damian Lillard.

Holding the No. 3 overall pick, as well as the No. 23 and No. 43 overall selections in last Thursday’s NBA Draft, Portland seemed poised to make at least one trade to acquire a win-now piece to aid Lillard’s cause.

Instead, they selected Scoot Henderson, Iowa’s Kris Murray, and French 17-year-old wing Rayan Rupert.

“We made the biggest move possible by drafting Scoot Henderson,” Cronin claimed in his post-draft press conference. “He is going to be better than any player that could be perceived as that big move.”

Cronin also said the team’s goal remains to build a contending roster around Lillard.

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“There is nothing we want more than one, for Dame to retire a Trail Blazer, and two, to put a winner around him,” Cronin said.

Haynes is as plugged-in to Lillard’s camp as any national media member, and his report of Dame’s meeting with Trail Blazers brass carries weight heading into the next few weeks of the offseason that pose all kinds of questions.

Are we nearing a breaking point between Dame and Rip City?

The new league year begins July 1st.

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin are meeting with the team today to discuss the franchise’s direction, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/mUgEDzEbsw

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 26, 2023