Pretty in-depth article about Dame & being recruited to LA by LeBron, his relationship with Billups and more. https://www.theringer.com/nba/2022/10/12/23399283/damian-lillard-portland-trail-blazers Abridged version below.
Sorry, but no..... under no circumstances do we trade Dame to LA. I would rather he sit out the rest of his contract. Fuck LA.
Even Lillard thinks they can put it together but they have to do just that. Figure it out. “I love what we have,” he said. “We look really good on paper, the way things stack up. But when you put on the floor you gotta connect, we gotta be tapped in. How well we jell and how connected we are is ultimately gonna show that in our performance.”
...I would also like to add the following: Fuck LeBron. Fuck AD. Dame saw right thru their empty, hollow soul BS!
They don't have most of their picks, so I wouldn't be interested in any package the Lakers could put together. If the Lakers could give us four first round picks and a bunch of swaps it would actually fuck LA more in the long term. Dame getting the Blazers that return could lead to more Blazers wins than anything Dame could do on the court in his late 30's. I used to be more anti-Lakers.... but with how pathetic the future of our franchise is right now; I care more about improving that outlook with whatever the best return of assets is than preventing whatever other team from acquiring our players.
Dame also thought Stotts, Olshey and CJ were a great group for 10 years so I'm not that impressed with his opinions of building a contender. Players should play, coaches coach, and good management build the roster.
But at the same time, unprotected 1sts in 2025/2027/2029, pick swaps in 2024/2025, and Westbrook for Dame is still a ludicrous offer. There are zero young players worth trading for on that team. I’m with you, I trade him there if that’s where it nets us the most value. But I’m not just giving him to them.
Looking good on paper isn't enough. Games aren't won on paper. That said, I am concerned for the season but not ready to panic. I do think honeymoon for Billups is over. He got a pass last year with Dame out. With supposedly improved defense and healthy Dame, it's on him. And the idea of tanking for one particular pick is very dumb. No guarantee a team will get the pick they want no matter how bad they are.
