Damian Lillard Meeting with Trail Blazers to Discuss Future
Damian Lillard is meeting with the Portland Trail Blazers today to discuss the future of the franchise, which presumably includes a discussion of his role in it. Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweeted the news minutes ago.
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.
The Blazers and Lillard have professed loyalty to each other for most of the past two seasons as the NBA rumor mill has speculated a separation between the two due to Portland’s poor performances and Lillard’s advancing age. Lillard has said he wants to remain in Portland. Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin has stated that building a contender around Lillard is, and remains, the franchise’s central goal.
The relationship has come under more scrutiny recently, as the Blazers drafted point guard Scoot Henderson third overall in the 2023 NBA draft, while Cronin advanced his admiration for the incoming rookie. In a post-draft press conference, Cronin vowed to keep both guards. Meanwhile, scattered reports have cited Lillard’s admiration for the Miami Heat. Lillard has also stated previously that he is uninterested in a rebuilding process and that the Blazers’ front office had promised him more veteran help going into next season, a presumed contingency for him staying.
Goodwin’s presence at the meeting may indicate that this conversation is more formal than past discussions have been. We’ll have to wait and see whether it leads to a change in direction for Lillard or the franchise.
Lillard is under contract with the Blazers through 2027, with a player option in the final year of the deal.
Source: Blazer's Edge
