LAS VEGAS — Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said he is confident that the team’s superstar, Damian Lillard, will be with the franchise this upcoming season despite various rumors and reports that he could seek a trade.
Lillard, 31, has said numerous times that he plans to remain with the team but has stopped short of fully stating publicly that he is 100% all in. That has led to speculation about his future after he expressed concerns about the team’s direction and his desire to win a championship.
Billups, hired in late June, said he understands Lillard’s perspective and has been supportive of him through this process.
“One thing I love about him is that he actually wants to win,” Billups said from the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas. “He’s experienced every other thing that you can besides actually winning. He’s been in the MVP race. He’s an All-Star. He’s All-NBA. He’s done all of those things. He is an Olympian now. I actually think him winning in the Olympics actually fuels his fire more to win.
“So, I understand, as a guy that’s been a player and won it before, I know how beautiful that is and how good that feels. So, that’s all he really wants is to have that opportunity to win. But that’s what we all want.”
The six-time All-Star has made it clear that he wants to win a championship in Portland and essentially called for Neil Olshey, president of basketball operations, to bolster the roster to championship levels this offseason.
That hasn’t necessarily happened to date. The team did re-sign unrestricted free agent Norman Powell but returns the same starting five that lost to Denver in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. The Blazers signed three players to veteran minimum contracts: center Cody Zeller, wing Tony Snell and guard Ben McLemore. Billups said he believes that trio will greatly improve the team’s depth.
But none move the needle in the direction Lillard had hoped. The Blazers for decades have struggled to land marquee free agents or major stars in trades. Portland made efforts to seek a major trade this summer, but to no avail. Lillard has talked to players about coming to Portland, but those efforts have not produced results.
SAITAMA, JAPAN – AUGUST 07: Damian Lillard #6 of Team United States looks to drive to the basket against Team France during the first half of a Men’s Basketball Finals game on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Super Arena on August 07, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Getty Images
Even if Lillard, who has three years remaining on his contract with a player option for a fourth, remains in Portland for the start of the season, that doesn’t necessarily mean he would finish the campaign without demanding a trade, or do so next summer. It appears clear that if the Blazers aren’t progressing in a direction that appeases Lillard, he ultimately could look to move on.
Billups said taking the Blazers’ job was not contingent on Lillard remaining with the team but he did so fully expecting arguably the greatest player in franchise history being on the roster.
“Of course, Dame adds an unbelievable attraction to this job,” Billups said. “My mindset is that I’m going to do the best job that I can for who we have, and of course I want Dame to be here as bad as anybody. I think you have two kinds of NBA teams: Teams with a real superstar and teams that are looking for one. We have one. That’s a beautiful thing and we’re fortunate to have him.”
Lillard named Billups as a coach he would like to see take over for Terry Stotts, early on in the search process. A key reason was that Billups is a former All-Star point guard who won an NBA title with Detroit in 2004 and was named Finals MVP.
Billups believes he could help Lillard become better on the defensive end and install an offensive system that both maximizes his abilities while easing some of the burdens he carries as a scorer.
Billups said he’s had conversations with Lillard along those lines, as well as about his feelings moving forward, but chose to keep the specifics confidential. However, Billups said that the greatest players still want to be coached and that Lillard still wants to be coached.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why he wanted a former player and a point guard was to have somebody who could maybe understand where he’s … has been in his shoes and can help him advance,” Billups said. “So, that was probably part of the reason why he was on board with me being here.”
Although the two have had several conversations, Billups said his approach is to allow Lillard to sort through his feelings and be there for him if needed.
“It’s been a pretty emotional summer,” Billups said. “He’s got a lot of stuff going on. It’s been well documented. I’m just here to support him. I think that’s one of the benefits of having someone who has actually been where you are and also has been where you’re trying to go. So, I can navigate some of those things from a player perspective.
“Every player, they go through their own thing. Part of it is me stepping back and letting them go through it. And then, when it gets where he needs me, I’m right there. But I’m not going to be on top of him. He’s his own man. He’s a family man. He’s a pro. He has this thing kind of figured out. So, I’m not going to stand in the way of any of that stuff. Dame has to make his own decisions, but I’m here to help him whenever he is ready to make them.”
— Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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