Damian Lillard Rumors: Knicks 'Don’t Hold the Same Appeal' in 2022 as They Did in '21

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard reportedly has less interest in joining the New York Knicks than he did previously amid the Knicks' struggles this season.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, a source said going to New York appealed to Lillard more last season when the Knicks were among the NBA's biggest surprises and secured the No. 4 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

This season, the Knicks are a disappointing 25-32, placing them 12th in the Eastern Conference and two games out of the last postseason play-in tournament spot.

Leading up to Thursday's trade deadline, Portland largely dismantled a team that had reached the playoffs in eight straight seasons, raising questions about what the future holds for Lillard.

After sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Blazers traded Lillard's longtime backcourt running mate, CJ McCollum, to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Lillard has been out since New Year's Eve after undergoing abdominal surgery, and with the Blazers seemingly not trying to make a push for the playoffs despite being in the Western Conference's final play-in tournament spot with a 23-34 record, it stands to reason that Lillard could miss the rest of the season.

The 31-year-old has spent each of his 10 NBA seasons in Portland, and since he is under contract through at least the 2023-24 campaign, he may be in no imminent danger of leaving.

Per Berman, Blazers insiders believe Lillard is likely to want to stay in Portland for at least one more season now that Neil Olshey is no longer general manager.

If that is the case, it could give the Knicks a bit more time to gather up assets and make a run at Lillard on the trade market.

As things currently stand, Berman noted that the Knicks don't have much to offer aside from draft picks. New York likely doesn't want to part with RJ Barrett, who is a rising star with big-time offensive potential, but one NBA executive told Berman that the Knicks would currently have to trade him to have any hope of landing Lillard.

While Lillard's mentor, Johnnie Bryant, being an assistant head coach for the Knicks is one thing working in their favor, their failure to sign DeMar DeRozan in free agency is reportedly another strike against them.

According to Berman, Lillard and DeRozan are friends, and his presence could have potentially helped lure Lillard to New York.

Instead, DeRozan signed with the Chicago Bulls and was named an All-Star in the midst of a career season that has seen him average 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

For now, all signs point toward Lillard sticking around in Portland and seeing what the front office can put around him.

The Blazers have a good starting point with a six-time All-Star in Lillard leading the way and another rising backcourt star in Anfernee Simons, but there is a lot of work to be done with very little star power across the rest of their roster.