Damian Lillard Denies Plans to Request Trade From Blazers

With the 2021 NBA Finals beginning to wind down and the official NBA offseason approaching, trade rumors are beginning to take over the league's news cycle. To no surprise, much of those trade rumors surround Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

Since joining the Blazers in 2012, Lillard has been a cornerstone for the Portland franchise. Unfortunately, Lillard and the Blazers have struggled to turn successful regular seasons into deep playoff runs.

The trend continued this past postseason as the Blazers fell short in the first round of the playoffs to the shorthanded Denver Nuggets. Following the series loss, the Blazers fired longtime head coach Terry Stotts, causing a major change in the organization.

As the firing of Stotts signaled a potential rebuild, many believe it's time for the 31-year-old Damian Lillard to get a fresh start somewhere else so he could join a team that's ready to compete for a championship as early as next season.

Although he never publicly admitted he wants a trade, a report from last month hinted that Lillard could soon be pushed out of Portland due to several reasons. On Friday, another report supported that notion as Henry Abbott of TrueHoop mentioned that Lillard is expected to request a trade any day now.

After the report surfaced on the net, Lillard was expected to address the trade rumors following his practice session with Team USA in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. To no surprise, Lillard denied the claims that he's planning to request a trade.

It would be naive to think Lillard would publicly request a trade at an Olympic press conference after practice. While Lillard denying the latest viral report was to be expected, he still left the door open for potential changes in the future.

"I haven’t made any firm decisions on what my future will be," he said. Perhaps, that could change after Lillard's expected to meet with Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Portland's GM Neil Olshey on Friday.

Right now, it seems Lillard's focus is on Team USA and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, rightfully so. While the star is denying any reports of a potential request to get out of Portland, he could certainly change his mind later on down the line. For the time being, though, he expects to remain with the Blazers.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.