Report: Damian Lillard to Request Trade From Blazers In 'Days to Come'
A disastrous offseason that's only just begun is about to get much worse for the Trail Blazers.
According to Henry Abbott of TrueHoop, Damian Lillard plans to request a trade from Portland imminently.
Now a source close to Lillard says that in the days to come, he plans to request a trade.
Abbott, former editor of NBA coverage at ESPN.com, mentions several factors that could be pushing Lillard out of Rip City.
Lillard's frustration with the Blazers' coaching search is well-documented. By keeping silent after initial reports emerged of Portland settling on Billups, the front office allowed Lillard—who'd previously gone on the record supporting Billups' candidacy—to be the scapegoat for fans dismayed by the team hiring a man accused of rape in 1997.
Neil Olshey and company only made matters worse during Billups' introductory press conference, refusing to shed light on the team's investigation into the allegations and preventing Billups from answering a follow-up question about how the alleged incident "shaped" him. Recent reporting from OPB about the team's sham of a probe into the accusations cast an even bigger cloud over the Blazers, one made darker by the team being forced to cut ties with the Adler Group—which conducted the investigation—after it was revealed the company's founder made bigoted, inappropriate posts on social media.
Recently rediscovered allegations of sexual assault and harassment by owner Jody Allen, plus the potential sale of the franchise, leaves Portland in even more turmoil.
It was just last week that Lillard pushed back on a report about the increasing likelihood he forces his way from the Blazers. Maybe talk of his imminent departure is still just smoke.
But everything that's been unearthed about Portland's widespread dysfunction over the past few days, let alone last six weeks, can't be discounted. If Lillard really is fed up enough with the Blazers to go back on his longstanding plans to retire in Rip City, it's certainly hard to blame him.