Damian Lillard Says Blazers Fans Who Want to Trade Him Should 'Start the Petition'

Damian Lillard has a message for Portland Trail Blazers fans who want the organization to consider trading the seven-time All-Star.

Responding to a fan post on Twitter, Lillard told those who want him dealt away to "start the petition and send it in" along with a shrug emoji.

The lottery results did open up a lot of potential avenues for general manager Joe Cronin to explore this offseason. They moved up two spots to get the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft.

Cronin told reporters afterward winning the third pick "is significant" because it "could be great for us or somebody else, depending on how we approach this draft."

Given Cronin's comments at the end of the regular season, it would seem like he will at least strongly consider trading the pick in order to bring in high-level players around Lillard who can help the team win in 2023-24.

"We don't want to go through this anymore," he said. "It's time for us to start winning basketball games. Not just for [Dame] but for all of us. We don't want to have another year like this."

An anonymous NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com last month that Lillard would have to tell the Blazers he wants to be dealt because "they're not going to trade him on their own."

There has been no indication Lillard wants to leave Portland. He signed a two-year, $121.8 million extension with the team last offseason that doesn't even kick in until the 2025-26 season.

Lillard had a terrific bounce-back season in 2022-23 after injuries limited him to 29 games the previous year. He averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game and shot 37.1 percent from three-point range.

The Blazers have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12 and 2012-13. They finished last in the Northwest Division this season for the first time since 2005-06.