Sixers Rumors: Blazers Reiterate Lillard Isn't Available for Ben Simmons Swap

The Portland Trail Blazers have been dealing with a lot lately. Following a private investigation focused on Portland's longtime President of Basketball Operations, the Trail Blazers decided to move on from Neil Olshey.

By parting ways with their top front office executive, the Blazers's roster has been facing a ton of uncertainty over the past week.

Not only will they replace Olshey with another person who might have a different vision for the franchise, but the Blazers have been off to an underwhelming start to the year, which could lead to sudden roster changes.

While there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Blazers, the organization has made one thing very clear -- Damian Lillard isn't going anywhere.

Over the summer, there was a lot of speculation regarding Lillard's future. As the Blazers have struggled to build a championship contender around their franchise superstar, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Lillard requested a trade.

If that were to become the case, the Philadelphia 76ers would've jumped at the opportunity to try and land him as they wanted an All-Star caliber player in return for their disgruntled All-Star Ben Simmons, who requested a trade after the playoffs.

However, Lillard never requested a trade. Fast forward to early December, and the veteran point guard remains set on staying in Portland for as long as they'll have him. As for the Blazers, they don't seem to be changing their minds about Lillard anytime soon as well as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that the Blazers continue to make it clear to the Sixers that they will not be trading away Lillard.

The Portland Trail Blazers have made clear to the 76ers that All-NBA guard Damian Lillard is not available to be discussed in trade talks and franchise has no interest in moving him, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 10, 2021

Prior to offering an update regarding Lillard, Wojnarowski reported that the Sixers have recently picked up some traction with talks regarding a potential Simmons trade. In his report, Wojnarowski reiterates the Sixers want a top 25 player in return for the 25-year-old Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.

While Damian Lillard remained one of their top targets, the Blazers once again shot down the idea that they might move on from their franchise superstar as significant changes loom for Portland's organization.

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