(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
It is hard to imagine Damian Lillard wearing the jersey of any other team in the NBA other than the Portland Trail Blazers.
But the 33-year-old superstar demanded a trade earlier this offseason following 11 years of service for the Trail Blazers.
While most are predicting a move away for Dame, the trade talks aren’t catching much fire as of now.
Keeping that in mind, NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor recently shared a scenario where Lillard could stay in Portland, via Twitter.
If the Blazers keep Lillard into the season I don’t think it’ll be a negative distraction. If anything, it’d alleviate pressure off Scoot to produce right away. And he’d get quality experience operating off-ball.
Too much history between Dame and Portland for it to get ugly. pic.twitter.com/JnPxU4v3Pp
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) September 26, 2023
O’Connor’s assessment is based on the fact that Lillard and the Trail Blazers have a lot of history between them.
He believes it’s hard to easily move on from it.
On top of it, O’Connor also believes that Dame’s absence on the roster will decrease the pressure on Scoot Henderson to start performing right off the bat.
If he ends up staying in Portland, it will allow Henderson to take some time to settle down and slowly take over the position of the franchise superstar from Lillard.
A recent report revealed that Lillard wouldn’t have requested a trade if the Trail Blazers had ended up drafting Victor Wembanyama.
Sure, Scoot is an elite prospect, but not many believe he can surpass Wembanyama.
With that being said, the possibility that Lillard stays with the Trail Blazers to help them develop Henderson seems bleak at best.
But the NBA is unpredictable and there’s no way that the possibility of Lillard staying with the Trail Blazers even after months of drama can be ruled out.
The post Analyst Previews A Scenario Where Damian Lillard Stays In Portland appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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