“I want to have an opportunity to win in Portland” – Damian Lillard on his future with Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard has displayed incredible loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers despite the mass and the media telling him to leave the team to win. However, Lillard is a different type of star and isn't one to run away from the grind, even with all the noise, he's still loyal to the city that welcomed him.

Lillard capped off his tenth season in the league by only playing 58 games due to a calf injury. The Blazers missed the postseason for a second consecutive season and have earned themselves the third pick in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. With that, questions about Dame's future with the team started to emerge.

The 2012-13 Rookie of the Year was asked about his future in Portland, and what his plans are.

"I think I've made it clear what my wishes are. I want to have an opportunity to win in Portland and right now we got an opportunity, asset-wise, to build a team that can compete." Lillard said. "If we can’t do that, then it’s a separate conversation we would have to have."

He added:

"We just gotta let things take it's course and see where it lands and go from there. There's no guarantee that I'll be playing in June, regardless of the situation."

There have been speculations on what the Blazers will do with their lottery pick this year. Some have speculated that they'll draft a young prospect and trade Lillard to start from square one. Also, there have been rumors that Portland could trade the pick and a few notable players for an All-Star to help support Dame's championship campaign.

Still, even with all the discussion surrounding the future of the seven-time All-Star, he's remained composed and focused on staying loyal to the franchise.

Lillard averaged 34.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 10.2 assists this season.

You might also be interested in reading this: "I also love their roster"- Damian Lillard stands firm on his Sixers take while showing his love to Joel Embiid

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Damian Lillard is unsure which team will win the 2023 NBA Finals

2023 NBA Finals - Game Two

The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets are putting on a show in the NBA Finals and stars are having a hard time picking which team will come out on top. Even Damian Lillard is torn between the two teams for different reasons.

"Miami got the real fighting spirit, they gon' play til the end, they gon' steal some games. They did it against [the] Milwaukee [Bucks], they did it against [the] Boston [Celtics]." Lillard said. "[The] Denver [Nuggets] is a machine, so you just gotta sit back and watch it. Either one of these teams could pull it off."

The Heat were able to even the series and both teams have one win each. Game 3 will be in Miami tomorrow night.