In today’s NBA, it already becomes normal for superstars to join forces in order to have a better chance of winning the NBA championship. This is proven by the multiple crazy transactions in the 2019 NBA offseason where Anthony Davis joined LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, Kawhi Leonard recruited Paul George on his way to the Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant teamed up with Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan on the Brooklyn Nets, and Russell Westbrook reunited with James Harden on the Houston Rockets.
All the big names on the free agency market may have already found a new home, but there are still plenty of superstars who are expected to be moved before or during the 2019-20 NBA season. The birth of numerous powerhouse teams this summer has undeniably shaken up the power balance in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
While they are currently not in the mix of the top favorites to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next season, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers said in a recent interview with Adam Caparell of Complex that he doesn’t have any plan of jumping on the bandwagon.
Lillard respected and praised the decisions some of his colleagues made in the 2019 NBA offseason, but he wants to make it clear to everyone in the league that he has no interest in following their footsteps.
“I think people are taking control because there’s no greater time to do it than now,” Lillard said. “And I don’t have a problem with that, but the way I see stuff is, like, I don’t prefer to go that route. Just like they’re choosing to do this stuff for their career, I’m choosing to do what I want for mine, too.”
. @Dame_Lillard told us he’s never leaving Portland for a superteam. ?
“What is the challenge or fun in that?”
Read: https://t.co/SExp973XMV pic.twitter.com/GfdN5LbUgq
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) August 21, 2019
Like other NBA superstars, Damian Lillard is also dreaming of winning an NBA championship before he permanently ends his NBA career. However, instead of joining superteams to achieve his main goal, Lillard wants to get it done with the Trail Blazers.
“To leave, what did I invest all this time for just to leave, you know?” Lillard said. “If I go play with three other stars, I don’t think that many people would doubt that I could win it. We would win it, but what is the challenge or the fun in that?”
No one can blame Damian Lillard for thinking that way but with the current talents on their roster, it remains a big question mark if the Trail Blazers have what it takes to fully dominate the Western Conference and win the NBA championship. If the Trail Blazers are serious about helping Lillard achieve his main goal in Portland, they may want to prioritize adding a third superstar on their roster.
