Last week, there was a report that Damian Lillard gave the Portland Trail Blazers an ultimatum if they didn’t get him an All-Star. If not, he wanted out of Portland, according to a league source. Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes released a report after it was announced that the Blazer had hired Chauncey Billups that the hiring came with a lot of pushback and raised questions about whether or not a championship roster could be built.
Despite the members of the media and others around the league asking for Lillard to leave, he has been extremely loyal to the city of Portland. However, over the last couple of days, Lillard has been under fire by the Blazers fan base because of the pending hire of Clippers assistant coach Chauncey Billups.
Lillard had no part in the hire, according to Haynes. The Blazers coaching search was conducted by President of Basketball operation Neil Olshey, part of the Clippers front office when Billups played for the team in the early 2010s. Not one of the candidates interviewed came from Lillard’s suggestions, according to Haynes’ sources.
Per Haynes, Lillard has a relationship with Billups but was unaware of the allegations against him.
Sources tell myself & @AdamNBorai: There is a growing rift between Portland Trail Blazers ownership, Damian Lillard, & the front office. Dame has been in touch with players on other teams this off-season & monitoring Portland's future before committing to anything. More to come.
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) June 27, 2021
“There is a growing rift between Portland Trail Blazers ownership, Damian Lillard, & the front office. Dame has been in touch with players on other teams this off-season & monitoring Portland’s future before committing to anything. More to come,” says Esnaashari.
Lillard averaged 28.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game in 67 games of play.
This post originally appeared on LandonBuford.com. Syndicated with permission.
