The entire world is probably aware of Damian Lillard and his recent outburst of frustration with the Portland Trail Blazers. Time continues to run out for the veteran as he will be 33 years old next season. Unfortunately, he has not won a championship despite leading the Blazers to the playoffs consistently. It wasn’t until last season that they had a major decline. It has been two years since they last made the playoffs.
Amidst all the trade rumors and cryptic Lillard tweets, a video of LeBron James trying to recruit the point guard resurfaced on the internet. Keep in mind that the Blazers and Lillard have been having a love/hate relationship for many years at this point. James said during an interview, “Gimme Damian Lillard. I’ll show you how appreciated he’d be.” However, this isn’t the first time LeBron has shown interest in acquiring Lillard for his team.
I’m hearing @Dame_Lillard doesn’t feel appreciated in Portland..?
Hmmm.. LeBron once said: pic.twitter.com/ahO8sREo30
— ⁶ (@SpeakContext) May 18, 2023
On an episode of The Ringer, Dame narrated how one of his meetings with James had gone. He said that James asked him to hang out at his house. “We just chopped it up just about the possibilities and I was like, ‘I really don’t know what we’re doing… I wasn’t even looking at it like a recruiting process. My only point is, let’s give ourselves a chance,” he said.
Both players have competed alongside each other before. Most notably during the 2021 All-Star when Lillard competed for Team LeBron.
Damian Lillard hints at leaving the Blazers
Over the last few days, Damian Lillard has been going on a Twitter spree dropping cryptic tweets about him wanting to be traded. In the past, Dame has expressed his loyalty to the Blazers saying that he wants to retire on the team. However, things have changed over the last few weeks.
If the fans wana trade me … start the petition and send it in 🤷🏽♂️ https://t.co/zOjGRBh8rD
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 18, 2023
A Blazers fan slammed Lillard stans for wanting to trade their No.3 overall pick rather than trading him. He replied saying, “If the fans wana trade me … start the petition and send it in.” Another fan said, “Lol u ain’t low, u wanna leave but tryna get the fans to push u out,” to which he replied, “I been on the same time over a decade lol … I’m just saying if the ppl got different wishes.”
I been on the same time over a decade lol … I’m just saying if the ppl got different wishes 🤷🏽♂️ https://t.co/qqp2qzRsFh
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 18, 2023
Dame and the Blazers aren’t entirely on the same page. A report from Chris Haynes stated that the Blazers are desperate to retain their veteran and will include their No.3 overall pick in trades if needed. Lillard on the other hand says that if they choose to keep the young draft picks, he will not stay on the team. Several rumors about him joining the San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers have surfaced.
