Damian Lillard Trade Rumors: Multiple Teams Call Blazers About Star Ahead of Deadline

Multiple teams have reportedly reached out to the Portland Trail Blazers to discuss a potential blockbuster deal for point guard Damian Lillard ahead of Thursday's 2022 NBA trade deadline.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported (via HoopsHype) interested teams are hopeful Lillard backs off previous comments about remaining committed to Portland with hope he'll "eventually ask to be traded" amid a roster reconstruction that already saw CJ McCollum dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Lillard hasn't played since New Year's Eve because of an abdominal injury. He underwent surgery Jan. 13 and the team announced he'd be evaluated in six weeks, which equates to late February.

The six-time All-Star told Casey Holdahl of the Blazers official website the McCollum trade didn't come as a major surprise as the longtime backcourt running mates knew it was a possibility leading up to the deadline. Lillard noted the situation didn't change his outlook:

"For me, my heart is Portland Trail Blazer. I want to win it. I know that I have a plan that's going to put me on my best level when I come back to play. And I want our team to fit that. I'm a huge fan of Chauncey Billups. ... And I'm a Joe Cronin fan. In his position I think it takes being bold and doing bold things, doing what you see fit and standing on it. He's told me that our plan is to build a winning team, not to rebuild. Because we had a prior relationship to him becoming GM, I trust his word."

Lillard has remained steadfast in that stance over the past several years despite being constantly mentioned in trade rumors.

While that speculation has continued leading up to the deadline, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported Wednesday the Blazers have "no plans" to trade their franchise cornerstone.

Portland doesn't face any type of pressure to make that type of blockbuster move, either. Clearly Lillard is prepared to weather the short-term storm with hope the Blazers reemerge as a contender, and the 31-year-old is only in the first season of a four-year, $176.3 million contract.

It's no surprise that rival teams have checked in on his availability to see whether anything changed based on the McCollum trade, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

The Blazers, however, may still be active in the hours leading up to the deadline as they look to continue their roster reconstruction.