Is Lillard’s patience running out?
On the 28th (Korean time), reporter Shams Karania of the local media ‘The Athletic’ said, “Lillard may have played his last game wearing a Portland Trail Blazers uniform. Lillard is expected to have a serious conversation with the Portland club after the season ends.” said.
In other words, it means that after the end of this season, the Portland club and Lillard will talk about the future. Since Lillard is one of the few players who stay loyal to his team in the NBA, where so many superstars ask for trades, it would be shocking if this story became a reality.
After being selected by Portland with the 6th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Lillard has played in a Portland uniform all along. With Portland, Lillard established himself as one of the NBA’s greatest superstars, winning Rookie of the Year, seven All-Star selections, and six All-NBA Team selections. Lillard was adored by many NBA fans for his flamboyant style of play and commitment to his team.
Lillard was likely to retire in a Portland uniform by signing a two-year, $122 million extension with Portland ahead of the 2022-2023 season.
Lillard also seems to have no way of sluggishness of the team. Portland has a 32-42 record this season and is in 13th place in the Western Conference. Portland made an effort to reinforce its power last offseason by recruiting Jeremy Grant and Justice Winslow, and wanted to live up to expectations by recording good results at the beginning of the season. However, due to injuries to key players and no player other than Lillard showing consistent performance, the team’s performance plummeted. The elimination of the playoffs was decided, and in fact this season also became a failed season. 바카라사이트
Apart from the sluggish team performance, Lillard’s performance is great. Lillard is averaging 32.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds this season, and is having the best season of his personal career in scoring. Efficiency also rose sharply from 40% last season to 46% field goal success rate, and it seems that there is no injury aftereffect at all.
Lillard would be the most upset. It is unknown how long Lillard, born in 1990, will maintain his prime. It would be disappointing for a player of Lillard’s level to retire without a championship ring. Lillard would feel the same way. Lillard has consistently expressed his loyalty to the team, but also his desire to win. Will another superstar change the team this summer?