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‘Take Your Talent Elsewhere’: Former NBA Champion Suggests Two Destinations for Blazers’ Damian Lillard

Published 06/04/2021, 9:38 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

One can only do so much, and Damian Lillard has done more than that for the Blazers. The 6’2” point guard has spent nine seasons of his career with Rip City and has been consistent beyond measures. But in return, the franchise has given him the bare minimum to do justice with his talents and sacrifices. 

Putting Dame’s rookie year aside, when LaMarcus Aldridge held the flag, Lillard has registered the highest win share every season. Still, in each of those eight consecutive playoffs, they could not reach the NBA finals even once. So for a champion material like him, who is just unfortunate, a former NBA Champion has two pieces of advice.

Kendrick Perkins with a direct message for Damian Lillard

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2008 NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins has always been of the viewpoint that Dame must leave Portland. After the team had yet another first-round loss, the 36-YO got another opportunity to spark the topic. He took to Twitter to ask Damian Lillard to take his services to either the Lakers or Celtics. 

This year, in the postseason, the Big Game Dame put in MVP numbers, averaging 34.3 points, 4.3 rebs, 10.2 assists, and 1 steal. These were his career-high playoff figures and yet to no avail.

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He did all the heavy lifting in Game 5 and yet his team could not catch up with the efficiency, which bundled the series in six games. So now, the ground is open for other teams to take advantage of Dame’s misery.

Could a Move to the Los Angeles Lakers Be on the Cards for Damian Lillard?

Will the Blazers be interested in an offer?

Right after losing the series, Logo Lillard had taken to Instagram to write “How long should I stay dedicated?”

With that line, at least this became clear that he has his doubts regarding a future with the Blazers.

Now, discussing the mix that KP suggested, one would see why Lakers and Celtics can be decent destinations. Dame still has three years left on his big commitment with the Blazers with a player option in 2024-25.

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But just for the sake of argument, if one assumes Dame wants a trade, he can be more interested in the Celtics than in the Lakers. Reason? The star point guard has never been keen on forming super teams, and his chance of playing under the shadow of LeBron James and shaking hands with Anthony Davis are bleak. 

USA Today via Reuters

As far as the Celtics go, they might be willing to let go Kemba Walker and future picks to make an offering. And for Dame, it would be CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic replaced by young and dynamic Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Also, it would mean playing in the lesser competitive EC. 

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So what do you think, is KP talking real? Help us know in the comments.

Watch this storyDamian Lillard’s Record-Breaking Performance at NBA All-Star 2021

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh

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Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
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