Damian Lillard Would 'Never' Join A Superteam, But Is Open To His Own In Portland
Damian Lillard has never made a secret of his desire to finish his career in Portland.
During an era of superstar players making trade demands public, teasing free-agency plans months early and teaming up with peers in immediate pursuit of a ring, he wants to be for the Trail Blazers what Kobe Bryant is for the Los Angeles Lakers and Dirk Nowitzki is for the Dallas Mavericks.
The perceived nobility of that stance is overblown, and unfair to players who weren't drafted into a stable, successful environment like Portland's. Kevin Garnett's been very public that his lone regret about forcing his way out of Minnesota is that he didn't get to Boston sooner. Ask Bradley Beal, still rebuffing expectations of a trade demand, how he's feeling about the Washington Wizards' increasingly dire short and long-term straits.
All players deserve the agency their talent and a free market afford, but especially the exclusive group of stars who drive the league's bottom line–and receive undue criticism when their teams fail to win a title.
It's those critiques, championed by media and amplified by fans, that Lillard believes make this generation of elite players want to join forces and create superteams with a new organization.
Lillard, he continues insisting, would "never" go down that path. But directly recruiting a player of his caliber to come to Portland? As Lillard explained during a recent appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, that's a much different story.
Lillard, remember, reportedly made plans to train with Giannis Antetokounmpo over the offseason that were scuttled by realities of the pandemic. As Yahoo! Sports Insider Chris Haynes tells it, Lillard and Antetokounmpo also discussed the potential of someday teaming up together.
Antetokounmpo, of course, signed a designated max extension with the Bucks just before tipoff of the 2020-21 season, sending teams who cleared cap space in efforts to sign him this summer reeling. The Blazers weren't among that group; their avenue to acquiring the two-time reigning MVP would likely have been a sign-and-trade involving C.J. McCollum and more.
Still, it's revealing of Lillard's mindset with respect to superteams that he'd engage an all-timer like Antetokounmpo about playing alongside him, but apparently never consider joining a new team in conjunction with other stars.
Is it loyalty to Portland that Lillard values most, or avoiding the perception that he took the easy route to hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy? He's made clear that it's a combination of both.
No one would begrudge him if Lillard and the Blazers won a title with a superstar he recruited, which is why he's all but certain to join the small group of luminaries who retired having played for a single team.
Unless he's able to convince a player of his rarified air to come to Portland, though, it's also why Lillard will probably end his career without a ring–a likelihood he seems ever comfortable confronting.