Damian Lillard Rumors: Star 'Is Not Making Demands' When It Comes to Blazers' Next HC

Damian Lillard is reportedly not likely to overstep his role as the Portland Trail Blazers look for a new head coach to replace Terry Stotts.

"A source with knowledge of the situation said Lillard is not making demands of any kind when it comes to the coaching hire," Sam Amick of The Athletic reported. "The front office and ownership will do their jobs while communicating with him along the way."

Lillard has offered support for Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups as head coaching options, per Jason Quick and Shams Charania of The Athletic. He also said it would be "ideal" if the next coach has experience in the role.

Kidd has since taken his name out of the running, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Quick and Charania also noted Portland is "intrigued" by Billups, who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The team would be smart to factor in Lillard's opinion considering his impact on the team. The six-time All-Star ranked third in the NBA with 28.8 points per game in 2020-21 and is a major reason the squad has reached the playoffs in all eight seasons of his career.

The point guard is under contract through at least 2023-24, but plenty of teams would likely come calling if he asked for a trade.

A cryptic message on Instagram was enough to have some thinking about a move:

This is still the first coaching search Lillard has seen in the NBA, and he apparently won't force the Trail Blazers into making a decision just to satisfy him.