Damian Lillard Reacts to Report That He Wants to Join Lakers or Knicks

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard dismissed the idea that he was seeking a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, stating that the lack of available NBA news due to the coronavirus pandemic was the reason for the rumor.

The rumor of Lillard wanting to be traded was connected to a report which indicated that the Lakers and New York Knicks would be the teams he would most want to play for.

Back in April, Lillard had also rejected the idea that he was seeking a trade to the Lakers by citing the timing of the news that came on April Fools’ Day.

Just last year, Lillard signed a huge contract extension with the Trail Blazers that will begin after the 2020-21 season and pay him $196 million over four seasons.

Lillard is currently getting ready to resume the 2019-20 season in Orlando, Fla. While he’s excited to be getting back on the court, he recently expressed some doubt about whether players will follow the stringent safety protocols that will be in place.

“My confidence ain’t great,” Lillard said. “My confidence ain’t great because you’re telling me you’re gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules? When we have 100 percent freedom, everybody don’t follow all the rules. I don’t have much confidence. But hopefully it’ll be handled to a point where we’re not putting everybody at risk or in a dangerous position.”

While a player of Lillard’s caliber would aid any team, trying to fit his contract within the Lakers’ salary cap would be an arduous task. For that reason and Lillard’s outright dismissal of such talk, this rumor figures to fade away quickly.