The Damian Lillard appearance on the Draymond Green podcast provided a lot of topics for discussion amongst fans. It went knee-deep in conversations like how did Lillard feel when the Blazers traded away CJ. They also spoke about Dame’s future in the franchise, among many other things.
The one that’s currently taking up all the media attention is Damian Lillard’s comments on why it is harder for free agents to land in Portland.
Here is what Damian Lillard said
We know that in free agency a lot of things go through the minds of players before joining a team. Some depend on the strength, potential, and fit of the team. Others consider places where they’re closer to family. And most of them, allegedly, pick teams in huge market cities to earn a whole lot more money.
That last reason is one for the average NBA player. However, if you’re an NBA star, earning endorsements, no matter which corner of the world you’re in, is always feasible. Companies would go out of their way to have NBA stars be the face of their ad campaigns.
This adds more of a base to what Damian Lillard said. Lillard was listing out how other stars have had the opportunity to play with each other, however, Lillard only played with one all-star in his career. Green responded by asking him if he thought it was because of where the team is located.
That’s when Damian Lillard said this, “Bruh, people going to Oklahoma City….. and people going to Milwaukee.”
He said this with the context of these 2 cities being worse than Portland. The list of stars that have picked Milwaukee and OKC is Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, and even his former teammate Carmelo Anthony. This was also a direct dig to these 2 cities and teams which will be looking to take revenge for this.
Dame doesn’t get why players don’t come to Portland. ????♂️ pic.twitter.com/Y7FpuQcwVP
— theScore (@theScore) February 24, 2022
If the city is not the problem then what is the reason stars don’t join Dame in Portland? They have a max-level contract spot available this offseason. Could this be the year that they snag a big star to put along Lillard?