Damian Lillard recently revealed that he would be content with a life of losing in the playoffs as opposed to joining the Golden State Warriors. Due to the extensive coverage that he has been given by the media, fans should undoubtedly be aware that the Portland Trail Blazers star is unhappy with his current situation and wants to be traded to the Miami Heat.
Although no such trade has materialized as of this moment, several fans and members of the basketball community believe that it is only a matter of time before the Blazers move on from Lillard and begin their process of rebuilding with a young core of players.
Dame initially made it very clear that he wanted to join no other team but the Miami Heat. However, league officials intervened and sent out a stern warning preventing players from trying to force their way to a specific team.
Despite this warning, Dame made it clear that one team he had no interest in being a part of would be the Golden State Warriors. With that being said, let us take a closer look at his reasoning and thought process on not wanting to play alongside Steph Curry and Co.
Why is Damian Lillard against playing for the Golden State Warriors?
NBA fans will most certainly be able to recall the success that Dub Nation has seen over the past decade. One could argue that the Golden State Warriors dynasty is on par with Jordan’s Chicago Bulls or Kobe and Shaq’s Los Angeles Lakers.
The team managed to make the NBA Finals first in 2015 and has continued to do so several times since then. The core players consisting of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green managed to win 4 NBA titles in this span.
Since GSW already established itself as a championship-winning team without Lillard, he has no interest in joining the team. Especially since he is likely filled with memories of being eliminated by the Warriors in the playoffs. When asked if they could be a potential destination for him, he denied the notion of joining them and proclaimed that he would rather continue losing for the rest of his career as opposed to joining GSW.
“As far as like Golden State, I respect what they’ve been doing over the last eight, nine years or whatever and I’m from there obviously. That’s home. But I can’t be a part of that…. It don’t even make sense. I never do nothing like that. I lose every year before I go.”
Damian Lillard on ever going back home and joining the Golden State Warriors
“As far as like Golden State, I respect what they’ve been doing over the last eight, nine years or whatever and I’m from there obviously. That’s home. But I can’t be a part of that…. It don’t even… pic.twitter.com/ZFq9xm1z7k
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) September 19, 2023
Although Lillard was born in Oakland and is a native of the Bay Area, he has no interest in joining a team that has already managed to win multiple titles without him. Instead, he would much rather join a team like the Heat that is still a few steps away from winning an NBA championship.