Damian Lillard: 'In a Perfect World' Could Play Full Career with Blazers amid Rumors

Damian Lillard took a very political approach when asked if he wanted to remain with the Portland Trail Blazers for the upcoming season.

Appearing on It Is What It Is (starts at 51:20 mark), Lillard said "in a perfect world" he could spend his entire career playing for the franchise that originally drafted him back in 2012.

Everyone in the NBA knows it's not a perfect world because Blazers general manager Joe Cronin confirmed on July 1 that Lillard has requested a trade.

"We have been clear that we want Dame here but he notified us today he wants out and he'd prefer to play someplace else," Cronin said in a statement. "What has not changed for us is that we're committed to winning, and we are going to do what's best for the team in pursuit of that goal."

Lillard recently told Andscape's Marc J. Spears he still loves the city of Portland, but he "would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers."

The Miami Heat are the primary team that has been connected to Lillard since his trade request became public, but no deal has come together at this point. Spears said Monday on ESPN's NBA Today a "mystery Eastern Conference team" has emerged in pursuit of the seven-time All-Star.

It's impossible to say Lillard hasn't given the Trail Blazers every opportunity to build a championship-caliber roster around him. He's spent the past 11 seasons with the franchise and signed a two-year extension last summer that tied him to the club through the 2026-27 season.

Lillard would have been able to opt out of his previous deal in the summer of 2025 if he hadn't signed a new contract.

Portland has had success with Lillard leading the way. The team made eight consecutive playoff appearances from 2013-14 to 2020-21, including an appearance in the 2019 Western Conference Finals.

The Blazers have finished under .500 in three of the past four seasons. They are starting to build around a young core that includes Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.

Lillard, who turned 33 on July 15, is likely looking to maximize the remaining years of his prime in an attempt to win a championship. He averaged a career-high 32.2 points in 58 starts last season.