Damian Lillard Podcast Tour Continues With Comments About Trail Blazers

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

We are close to the beginning of the NBA season and Damian Lillard is still on the Portland Trail Blazers.

Lillard has been talking as of late of different podcasts and platform and taking fans inside of his mind and what he wants.

Lillard was on the “It Is What It Is” podcast and had some interesting things to say about the Blazers and his trade request. Lillard was asked if the Blazers drafting Scoot Henderson was the breaking point in requesting a trade.

“Me and Scoot, we’ve had a few conversations with him coming into the league,” Lillard said. “That wasn’t a deal breaker for me at all. I respect his game. I think in that position he was the best player available so that’s what you got to do if you have the pick. But I wasn’t offended at all because at the end of the day you got to come in and play. I’ve been doing this a long time so to me it wasn’t a knock on me at all.”

From my perspective, I believe Lillard and I don’t think it was the Scoot Henderson pick that was the final straw. I truly think that Lillard would have been okay playing with Henderson. Lillard has played with a lot less talented players for years. Henderson would have maybe been the most talented player Lillard had played with.

Lillard was also asked if he actually wanted to stay in Portland.

“In a perfect world… I could spend my entire career in Portland,” Dame responded.

Lillard was also on the Back on Figg podcast promoting his new album. He Lillard talked about how he wanted to stay with the Blazers because of his loyalty. The problem now – the Blazers and Lillard have different values.

“This the type I am,” Lillard said. “I never fold under nothing. I sink with the ship. I go down. That’s how I would do it. It’s a way you have to go about things and not be an idiot. You say I want to stay down. I’m going to ride til the wheels fall off and all that stuff. I don’t have to prove that to nobody. I’ve shown it. I mean that in my heart. That’s like me and you saying no matter what happens we ain’t telling on each other and then a day comes where I’m still playing by those same rules. Like you and me want the same thing. We going to go out together. And then that ain’t the code you want to live by no more. So when that happens. Me and you can’t be how we was.”

It’s pretty straightforward to me. The Blazers wanted to rebuild and Lillard wasn’t a part of it anymore. The franchise and Lillard were both going nowhere with one another. Now they will be going their separate ways. I don’t blame either party for what they are doing. The Blazers were not going to win anything significant with Lillard. And Lillard wasn’t going to win with the Blazers. Now Lillard is getting older and winning a championship is even more important to him.

The next obstacle in this drama is when Lillard gets traded. But it is very clear at this point — Lillard still loves Portland. He just doesn’t want to play in Portland.

@steven_von