The Trail Blazers have long been criticised for failing to get some help for the ever-loyal Damian Lillard.
But now NBA insider Zach Lowe has zeroed in on the fact that Portland doesn’t even seen to be taking the necessary steps to give themselves a chance of helping Lillard win.
“If you are serious about building a contender now, next season, two seasons from now, around Damian Lillard, you have to investigate what you could get for Simons or Sharpe,” Lowe said on his podcast.
“You have to. Otherwise you’re just banking on hope and luck, which sometimes hope and luck hit, and they know them better than we do. They know their likelihood of developing in time for Lillard. I didn’t hear one sniff of them trying to figure out the market for those guys.”
It’s not as though the Blazers have never have a good team. They did at least make the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
But most of that team is long gone now, including Lillard’s co-star CJ McCollum. And the only notable player they got for him was Josh Hart, who they then flipped for Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, Ryan Arcidiacono and a first-round pick.
So as admirable as Lillard’s loyalty is, it continues goes unrewarded.