Report States Damian Lillard Is Likely On The Way Out Of Portland If Blazers Don’t Trade No. 3 Pick

The Portland Trailblazers currently hold the No. 3 overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.

That means that they’ll have the guaranteed ability to select either GLeague Ignite star Scoot Henderson or Alabama forward Brandon Miller, assuming that all goes according to plan.

But it may not be that straightforward.

The Blazers have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and Damian Lillard’s days as an NBA superstar appear to be numbered.

Lillard, who turns 33 in two weeks, wants to star in Portland and try to win a championship with the Blazers. But that may well mean Portland must adjust its timeline a bit.

In addition to the No. 3 pick, the Blazers have young players such as Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe who could be used in a trade to acquire another star to play alongside Lillard.

Both Zion Williamson and Bam Adebayo have been linked to a move to Portland.

But what happens if the Blazers don’t make a trade? What happens if they stay put and opt to build for the future?

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst claims that Lillard would move quickly and ask for a trade.

“If the Blazers don’t trade that No. 3 pick, we’re headed for something there,” Windhorst told Bill Simmons of The Ringer.

He then doubled down on that stance on Thursday morning.

“That Blazers have indicated that they are going to draft. Which looks like it’s going to be Scoot Henderson,” Windhorst said. “Dame Lillard has indicated, not behind the scenes, on the record he does not want to play in a youth movement with a young player in a rebuild…The rest of the league knows, and they’re preparing their offers for what happens in the next 24-72 hours.”

Hold onto your butts. It sounds like the NBA is about to get very, very weird.