The Trailblazers FAILED Damian Lillard...

[@jamesh7469]

Honestly the idea of the Blazers getting Wemby is kinda insane, could almost be like a Kareem and Magic situation with Wemby and Dame where two gemerational players at opposite stages of their careers get to play together. How sick would it be for Dame to get a ring at the tail end of his prime? NBA writers, listen up!

[@moisesrodriguez3685]

If the pelicans jumped up to pick #1 to get Zion and were close to seeing AD and Zion play together, I can see Portland jumping up to #1, It would be insane.

[@jamesh7469]

@@moisesrodriguez3685 I’d be terrified of Wemby playing for that Pels medical staff lol.

[@imnotblindbutiloveblindfol8449]

Y’all putting a lot of faith in Wembenyama.

[@runningriot6399]

The year the blazers got the number one pick and took oden they had the 8th worst record. This year they could be 5th worse. It’s a real possibility they could get the number 1.

[@Eastwoodklinton]

@@moisesrodriguez3685aaaaaaaaa za m😅

[@wiker5901]

Blazers should have drafted Poku to get Dame a ring

[@troykilby5394]

The fuck up

[@moisturizedkev]

Facts

[@moisturizedkev]

Trade for Cam Reddish and that’s a big 3

[@atticus._]

the fact nobody talking about this is wild

[@Gary-bh4gn]

Dame and Portland are a weird match in heaven. A great player that’s fine with being a legend on one team and an organization that’s ok with being mid as long as they’re making money. Feel like any other team would see the writing on the wall, they’re not contenders, they’re not bad enough for good picks. No other reason for POR to still wanna hold on to him other than to make money, as long as he’s there they’re selling tickets, merch and get some games on tv. Until dame speaks up they’re gonna keep surrounding him with a roster that’s just not good enough and not trade him

[@sebastianabsolution655]

lame dame ok losin while buildin generational wealth. make it make cents.

[@gregbors8364]

You have no concept of loyalty. So many fans these days (at least on the internet think everything has to be about money and/ or ring chasing

[@ae_sleepy]

Sucks to see this happen to Damian Lillard, he's been nothing but short of amazing every season for the Blazers when they fail time and time again to get him some solid players to help him get over that hump. I understand his loyalty to the franchise that took a shot on him and payed him and gave him his time to shine, but sometimes you have to sever those ties if you want to win it all, especially if the front office does barely anything to help you out. Hopefully this off-season they get him some solid pieces, or his career is going to continue to be like this until they decide to make some major moves, or until he decides to ask for a trade, which I doubt will happen.

[@jasonallen3678]

He likes it this way

[@thesnipingspider3852]

@@jasonallen3678 Honestly yeah I think so. He’s confusing.

[@sebastianabsolution655]

i wouldnt say short of amazin. he solid, but cant lead a team 2 a title. he's 4th bes on a chip team.

[@rolandbridgeman5450]

Unless he take a pay cut which i think hed do they cant

[@into_play3226]

Dame is gonna be one of those players always mentioned on “best to never win a ring” lists.

[@27mosquitoes]

I was literally yelling at myself this morning about this. I am a HARDCORE blazers fan and no matter how shitty the team or coach is I will be. but dame NEEDS to be traded NOW. the blazers are wasting the most insane years of his insane career and giving up the chance to build an elite level performing team around dame, yet they refuse to trade other assets away. Dame needs to be traded to a contender team with good players and my dream destination for him is Milwaukee. Dame and Giannis have expressed that they both dream to play together, and this is no better chance. If the blazers trade him to milwaukee, they would get a HAUL and milwaukee would become a dynasty. Shooting and scoring outside the paint is something the bucks need and that is what dame does. Dame + Giannis + Jrue = 3 or 4 rings over the course of 5 years.

[@gregbors8364]

You’re not a Blazer fan. You’re a Bucks fan. And you know that Milwaukee couldn’t offer a “haul” for him in a trade and also keep the guys you mentioned. Keep dreaming.

[@Denise-mh7qz]

Dame doesn't seem to care either.

[@tylersworld3583]

I kinda feel bad for Dame. Beginning of the year was a huge success for the team despite him missing some time, just imagine what this team could've been if he was healthy and dropping some incredible numbers during that timespan. Now they have had some injuries which hasn't helped but Dame isn't getting the respect he deserves and I think his team around him is a reason why and isn't compared to a guy like Luka, losing CJ to New Orleans didn't help either just really disappointing man.

[@jasonallen3678]

I don't, because he protect management at every turn and seems content on being with a losing team to the end,just research some of his recent comments about loyalty..

[@FalseNi9e]

He has chosen to stay, so I don't feel.for hoim at all

[@rolandmtran]

The problem I think is Billups. He is an inexperience head coach.

[@aricrudd6579]

Did no one watch Dame’s interview with JJ? People don’t understand that these guys are still human, and winning a championship is only a PROFESSIONAL goal, not something to upend your whole life for. His whole family has put their roots down in Portland, so why should he destroy all that just because a bunch of “fans” want him to?

[@hoodieoz]

At some point he gotta choose him unless this is what choosing him means. I wouldn’t say it’s just a professional goal when he probably spent his entire life like most NBA talents perfecting his craft to even get to the NBA.

[@aricrudd6579]

@@hoodieoz What does “choose him” even mean? Also, that doesn’t make it NOT a professional goal. He is clearly passionate about basketball, but he shouldn’t have to bend over backwards to cater to fans who clearly don’t care about him as a person.

[@hoodieoz]

@@aricrudd6579 I’m saying “choose him” like as far as his passion goes. His profession is a sport, the objective of playing a sport is to win. The massive hours and years dedicated to him working on his game, and body and straining himself to be the kind of star he is , is nothing to be undermined. Fans want him leave so he has a chance to win because he’s already set for life. The amount of $ he’s making now him leaving portland won’t “destroy” anything. He travels every other night to play in opposing cities. And is leaning closer to the end of his career than the start. From his grind from Weber State to getting respected as a unanimous all star rather than getting snubbed like he used to, I think he deserves a shot at a championship. Especially if bottom of the bench role players on dynasty’s can get one and this guy has been a loyal superstar for more than a decade and their front office hasn’t paired him with anyone better than Lamarcus Aldridge or CJ McCollum over the years.

[@timberwolvesenthusiast8014]

I respect the hell out of dame for sticking it out with an organization that has surrounded him with minimal talent

[@JC-zj2is]

He’s had great talent around him.

[@darrengordon-hill]

You respect him... for not holding their feet to the fire?? You respect him... for choosing a bad organisation and minimal help?? You respect him... for choosing entertainment over competition?

[@biorgoanylchem]

@@JC-zj2is oh yeah? who or you one of those dingleberries that just spews shyyyt for sake of arguing or you actually got something?

[@FallenCitys]

@@darrengordon-hill it’s his life, he likes the city and the team, what’s not to like

[@thesnipingspider3852]

@@darrengordon-hill you don’t respect a man making money to last multiple generations while retiring without having any injuries with a city and fanbase that adores him ?? I DO think he should leave and get a ring but I don’t think he cares tbh

[@FeviviViper]

This is actually the second time he’s averaged 30+ ppg. He did it one other time a few years back

[@robertcovingtonstan6591]

No matter how much people scream for a Dame trade, it won't happen. Both Dame & Cronin aren't interested. Also it's clear you know jack shit about the Blazers, you just look at the record & roster at face value & start forming opinions without actually thinking. If you did your "research" for more than 5 minutes, you'd see a pattern of moves since Cronin became GM. Prioritizing fit, defense, & length while stashing assets for a bigger move down the line. It's clear the plan is to surround Dame with defense &/or a second star. Almost every player we've acquired has been either defense oriented or hyper-athletic with potential. This aggressive overhaul came with the hiring of Chauncy Billups, a defense oriented coach. If I had to put money on it, I'd say the days of Anfernee Simons & Jusuf Nurkic are numbered on the Blazers. Either for better fitting pieces or packaged with other assets for a second star. TL;DR Cronin isn't a jackass like Olshey was. He actually has a plan but he was put in an almost hopeless situation to begin with so it's taking a little bit.

[@Chessbox09]

Is Lillard totally blameless though? After he signed his new deal ESPN reported Lillard is the only player in NBA history to have 3 seperate 100million dollar contracts. In 2 years he'll be the highest paid player in NBA history. If he wants to take all the that money, I have no problem with it. However, I just can't feel any sympathy if he's eating up his teams' salary cap and other legends like Lebron/Duncan/Wade have taken less money to win.

[@derekgreen7319]

Dame is so great . I would love to see him on a winning team.

[@sebastianabsolution655]

how do u kno he'd win on a winnin team?🤔🤔

[@derekgreen7319]

@@sebastianabsolution655 I don't. Lol

[@sebastianabsolution655]

@@derekgreen7319 xcatly.

[@letsgrow2335]

Dame May not want to leave, but Portland needs to, Dane is a legend but they need to rebuild and focus on building up other guys. Dame takes a lot of shots

[@tysonmaddox1090]

This is why I never got why people prop up dame for being “loyal” I understand wanting guys to stick with the team that drafted him but I also don’t see why there isn’t a value in understanding when your team isn’t doing enough and wanting to go to a better organization. I’m not advocating for making super teams, I’m just more understanding considering how much rings matter in legacy debates. No one gives props to John Stockton for being loyal to the jazz and in 30 years I’m sure the same will happen to dame

[@Rieky22]

Ion even think he believes in the loyalty bs he just wants money and some brownie points for staying “loyal “to a trash organization for some reason

[@MadeTaylor]

Dont feel sorry for him one bit!!! He got his bag, he made his choice...He be aight!!! He dont care about rings, just like Westbrook!!!

[@califleadog5657]

You wouldn’t be saying this if the Blazers had a White HC.

[@1fastmex]

This will help you and every outsider understand what's going on in Portland. Take note of the last year that we went to the western conference finals. That was also the same year the owner Paul Allen passed. His sister ( Jodie Allen) was appointed to oversee the trust. She is not the owner she just manages it. The trust specified that the assets were to be liquidated and given to charity after x amount of years. She wants to spend 0 money because she will be forced to sell it in the somewhat near future. So she has strangled the team. Phil Knight made an offer last summer on the Blazers for 2.5 billion and she wouldn't sell it. Her and her management think by the time she is forced too she will get more than double that. It is sickening she is letting Dame and all Rip city down. Her brother was such a die hard Blazer too he would be devastated to see the organization in the shape it's in. So if you wonder why Portland still is making marginal moves and all these teams are doing blockbuster deals. That's why.

[@skproductions8495]

its like someone in a toxic relationship but doesn’t realize it. Dame is literally carrying a team that would be tanking without him, hopefully they flip some of these young guys for a star this summer

[@Gboi8]

Putting all on the organization seems a bit unfair. I remember him performing poorly in a wcf matchup against the gsw one year. I think kd didn't play in that series either.

[@adriansalazar3953]

He played well against okc, hence the buzzer beater in game 5...but he kinda fell off against denver then was kinda alright against the warriors..but yeah after that okc series he was mid

[@JarrinBenson]

Dame very recently said he despises ring culture in the NBA - he's here to stay. We DO NEED TO GET HIM A CO-STAR THOUGH! So frustrating. I'm a season ticket holder and everything since the trade deadline has been trash.

[@Ya-got-boyf]

Alot of this is on him. He chose to be loyal , which is rare . Problem is , organization that fail to build around a star don't deserve players like Dame. Now he's getting older and will probably be remembered as a very good player that never played meaningful playoff games.

[@evanwilliams3821]

Im a blazers fan but we need to send dame to the bucks

[@broganbalasubramani7919]

Everyone shits on the Blazers like they didn't just have a massive overhaul of their front office. Listen to me here: the guy who traded Gary Trent Jr for Norman Powell is no longer here. The guy who traded 2 firsts for Robert Covington is no longer here. Joe Cronin has done nothing but good things so far for the Blazers. People like to say that Cronin traded away CJ for Josh Hart... when in reality the biggest assets we acquired was the 1st round pick and the trade exception we used to get Jerami Grant. Cronin simply understands that running a front office in the NBA is a game of chess not checkers. When we don't make the play-offs this year we will be sitting on a top 10 pick, the Knicks pick, all our future firsts, and 5 players 23 years or younger (Simons, Sharpe, Little, Keon, and Watford) that would draw varying levels of interest from any team looking to rebuild. I think we are lining ourselves up to make a blockbuster trade in order to make one final push while Dame is in his prime, but it takes time to acquire the assets necessary to make a move like that. In Cronin we trust!

[@randythemitoman]

I would have loved to see a healthy Brandon Roy and Dame play together.

[@accordingtodrew7302]

He’s loyal to Portland but the organization hasn’t been to him. I like to use okc as an comparison. Both are small market teams who aren’t free agent destinations. After that Westbrook mvp season presti made a big balls move and went after PG and Carmelo. Did it work out? No in the short term but it shows me that Portland doesn’t have that same gutsy that okc front office has. They never took that risk to help dame the way okc did Westbrook. I think Portland takes advantage of that fact that dame is openly vocal about being loyal and not asking stars to play with him. If he’s content with just be somewhat competitive than the front office won’t bother themselves to do anything significant to help him. As an OKC fan I wanna see dame in a nba finals where his talent would shine but you can’t force players to do what you want. As long as he is happy 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@entrepreneurialhacks1255]

Great video, couldn’t agree more. I’m a blazers fan and I’ve been saying this exact same thing for the past three years now.

[@dispater101]

But heres the point..Damian Lillard obviously wants to win a ring, but he wants to win it IN Portland..i dont think he's down for that "We're gonna trade you to somewhere else so you could win a ring" talk

[@leeartlee915]

The Blazers had a tough go of it. The best players Dame has had during his time is Aldridge, CJ, and Nurkic. A lot of those players either were injured or underperformed. The front office has tried to pull other all-stars… they just won’t join them. Portland is considered the wastelands.

[@Avocado11]

3:30 KD and Cousins weren't even there in that series. Blazers now do have a very good chance to get Wemby.

[@demonv]

Dame averaged 30.0 PPG in the 2019-2020 season. His 55 point game against Denver was in double overtime not quadruple overtime.

[@revan5293]

Honestly dame is a good player. Wish he would go somewhere else. Sadly he won’t go

[@FalseNi9e]

Just shows you how hard it is to build a championship team. Also, Dame doesn't make it easy on them with his 50mil salary cap hit and next szn it's 60+ million!! It's not like he's helping that much. The Blazers should trade him so they can actually rebuild and be a good team. #FreePortland

[@Ya-got-boyf]

This is a problem not enough people talk about.

[@sebastianabsolution655]

right. lame dame couldve taken a pay cutt 2 give the organization relief 2 search 4 super talent. no, he accepts the huge bagg while buildin generational wealth an losin.

[@FoulTarnished47]

I honestly feel like the Blazers need to just completely overhaul this roster rather than just trying to make tiny little trades here and there. I'd hang on to Grant but they need to get someone more modern and defensive in for Nurkic and they should ship out Simons to capitalise on his current value. Getting rid of Josh Hart and GP3 was amazingly stupid since they are win now players and acquiring unreliable guys like Thybule and Reddish just made no sense. It's like this franchise is always on the cusp of being a contender but they just do stupid shit piece by piece to ruin it for themselves. They also haven't had a good coach in years.

[@darrengordon-hill]

Impossible. Dame gave them NO REASON TO TRY. He's gonna be there, LaMarcus Aldridge or 13th seed.

[@cazu2479]

Dame is about to retire ringless if he stays in Portland

[@atticus._]

going straight to 2k to get dame a ring after this baby, im thinking pascal siakam gonna look good in portland

[@diegochavez9286]

Dame to Denver please

[@pabman]

dame is too loyal

[@leeartlee915]

You can’t just “trade” Dame. You’ve got to deal him to a team of his choosing (which would be limited).

[@Domenico44055]

It's sad but he should have taken a paycut to free more space for another star to join. He deserves every penny he makes, of course, but Portland does not lure free agents and does not pick very high in the draft so the only way to get another star was to have 40+ millions of cap space. But there's hope, they're not THAT committed yet. They only have 9 players under contract for next season for a total of just 113 millions. There's room, let's see...

[@x5starhustla]

Dam is the problem. Only one team can win championships with a PG who does nothing but shoot and that's the warriors. They been to the playoffs majority of the years he has been at Portland. Plenty of guys don't get rings.

[@Stiixk]

Blazers fans can say what they want but the Blazers have shown with their actions they don’t really care about winning a championship

[@FalseNi9e]

Imagine if they drafted KD instead of Oden

[@aidenbrock9341]

Wouldn’t have dame then

[@linsithebe7080]

imagine hoping a player is still good at 36, for younger players to catch up to standard, what a mess.

[@johnbryan2414]

I used to think that til I realized he is an active part in it. With the money he makes, they would ensure, in his contract, that he could not voice that. He scored 71 because they knew they were tanking. He has no choice if he wants to be loyal, which should have made him want to leave. I'm sure they lied to the point that he got stuck. However, no amount of money should make you sell your soul so you get what you ask for

[@khurrammawanirkoo3119]

Blazers season is completely lost Cone tbh, they haven’t built around him

[@neilsacatropezsaura2320]

I never understood why they never traded CJ sooner

[@ProxyFinal]

I appreciate what Damian brings to the game, but I feel that JJ Reddick interview he did was rather off putting. Yes, journey is important and staying with the same team sounds like a great idea, so it’s winning a chip. Keep chasing.

[@tatevancleve1802]

Good this is exactly what the blazers need. Instead of being the 6th to 8th seed every year. It's in their best interest that if they don't compete for a title then why not get a lottery pick. The prob with Dame is he is so damn good even when they have a shitty team Dame still kicks so much ass they up end up just making the playoffs

[@Horizonsvip]

If you listen to what he says, he's going to do what he wants, not what other people want him to do. That's exactly how it has been and how it should continue to go. It doesn't matter what ring culture says about him. These are points that he hit on in the old man and the three. Would suggest listening to that. NBA fans are extremely fickle and want people to go to this team or that team all the time and then still talk trash on them.

[@bignoob24]

Loyal Star Players do not deserve disappointing front offices.

[@darrengordon-hill]

Disappointing front offices don't deserve loyalty. "I'll be your girlfriend, regardless if you cheat on me" doesn't inspire fidelity (loyalty)

[@derrellevans1092]

Portland Trail Blazers need a second Superstar beside Damian Lillard

[@johnpaul8938]

Everybody gets into the HOF now these days... 😴 why not put LA too and Andre Miller . Dame doesn’t want to leave because that’s the only team that can pay him and owes him a lot.

[@Saylin021]

Watch some Dame interviews, what he thinks about the whole situation. You'll probably take back everything about trading him. Lifelong Blazer and the best mentor in the league is what he will be imo.

[@FalseNi9e]

He's hurting the Blazers, not helping

[@timatkinson9291]

Yeah it’s unfortunate they haven’t tried to make their team better. Why they even traded CJ. is beyond me.

[@markensonlouis21]

He also played trash in that wcf match against the warriors. Those games the trailblazers were up and dame sold his team

[@DTachaJr]

If the Blazers owners were decent people they would trade him now get some excellent draft picks and such and let Dame go get his ring because he will never get one in Portland... he is still high value and teams would give the kitchen sink to get him..

[@jc32handler]

Much respect to Dame, for not ring chasing, one of my favorites, come play for my Kings team, you and Swipa would be fire. We've been the laughing stock of the league for the last 16 years.

[@FalseNi9e]

Not anymore though

[@1QuietStormGaming]

How did they fail him? He chose to stay there and kept signing deals. Loyalty can sometimes come with a price he got paid nice.

[@samuelmorris1461]

One of the main problems is dame doesn't care about a chip i know he would love to win one wit the blazers but I feel he cares more about his comfortablelty more then a chip somewhere else

[@karimw.9954]

Dame to Celtics rumours will heat up right after the playoffs

[@willemdaho3]

4:51 thats not true. Jokic never had an All Star player and yet he wins.

[@mikejavid]

Jokic had Jamal Murray who was a borderline all star before his injury and MPJ had all star potential. They now have Aaron Gordon who is a borderline all star. He was talking about how Dame has only had one all star caliber player when he has been in his prime

[@tatevancleve1802]

You don't know" if any other player has done that" in reference to a buzzer beating series winning shot. Ugh Michael Jordan has a few of those. I don't know if you have ever heard of him.

[@brandonmoss7976]

Dame should go to the pelicans Reconnect with CJ at point guard And win a ring 😆

[@reallydoe2552]

AS IM WATCHING SHAMS SAID THEY SHUTTING HIM DOWN INJURED THO

[@yeeps119]

Been saying jusuf nurkic and cj should have been traded a long time ago

[@jasonallen3678]

Dame has quadrupled down on being loyal to his franchise, so I don't understand why would you or anyone else have any sympathy for a man who is content and comfortable with being on a mediocre team year after year..

[@jaydees281]

Dame just needs to go to Miami and win with jimmy and bam

[@lostone9700]

Yeah theres no reason that team should be bad. Chauncey might need to go.

[@JC-zj2is]

Nahhh.. he choose this.

[@owenmcguire525]

I grew up watching videos about Dame needing help

[@linq7134]

we’re def making a big trade this off-season

[@wolfkiller5451]

I wouldn’t trust the blazers😂

[@TheCriminalViolin]

No, we're definitely not. It is absolutely delusion to put any trust in any of the execs on this damn team. History proves it.

[@nickfarwell8104]

his loyalty is his undoing

[@USMC-cv5sd]

So you're going to completely ignore that he had McCollum ??

[@mysionmingo4394]

Did you watch the whole Video

[@darrengordon-hill]

Please, thanks. Budget Steph and Montae sucked.

[@USMC-cv5sd]

@Mysion Mingo Yes I did, but I was busy. I don't remember him mentioning McCollum. 🤔

[@sideactivist]

Title is 100% right this franchise failed dame. If they trade him, they can at least set up for some future success. I highly doubt they would though

[@jasonmullins4686]

Why would OWNERS be loyal to any player.The team owners are running a business and Gonna maximize off your name.Use you up and on to the next mule

[@TheCriminalViolin]

As a Blazers fan, I've been saying how much this team needs a total rebuild from scratch for the last two seasons straight, making this season the third season I've been saying it, though this season proves all of my points of how direly it is needed. The team itself is the problem as a whole. Its not simply bad coaches (Terry was infuriatingly bad), or bad GMs (do not get me started of fucking NO), but the Ownership, the training (medical) staff, player development staff, etc. They're all a huge issue and have been for the last decade straight, for two of those positions, its longer than a decade. Ownership has GOT TO GO. We need new owners who can and will actually prove they give a fuck about adapting, learning, adjusting and doing whatever it takes to create a winning, championship minded, development focused, driven culture that attracts high profile players here in free agency, while ensuring the team is always ready to give fair chances, but also quick to acknowledge when a strategy isn't working and to adapt and change it up to learn new ways that work better. A Ownership that is willing to spend their egregious wealth to ensure the best possible results, atmosphere, culture, facilities, staff, players etc. One that is lead by a true passionate basketball and Blazers fan, and hopefully one who is truly local to the state. We desperately need entirely new Training staff, as we've had the same exact training staff leads in Jessica & Geoff for over a decade, and its clear their track records as medical staff are easily the worst in the league by far overall for the time they've been here. Them and the entire staff line there HAS TO GO. They're clearly incompetent as hell, and even a bit arrogant given the revelations of various players with longstanding injuries that continue to get worse over time because they tell them they have a clean bill of health and they should play, when they're either truly incompetent, or outright lying, and if the latter, you can bet the ownership has some hands in on that front for sure. We clearly need far superior player development staff, too. The only thing ours have even done is emphasize scoring & shooting, with a little ball handling tossed in. Look at the players they've "developed" to see how blatant this is. No defense whatsoever in anybody. And the only one who seems to genuinely improve year over year in that span of time has been Trendon Watford, though given his clear motor, mentality & competitiveness, I believe sincerely he's done that on his own, likely with a trainer or two he sought out and hired. The best teams always have a quality set of development staff, each dedicated and specialized in another skill set. Intangibles & Fundamentals, Defense, Rebounding, Athleticism & Endurance, Strength & Conditioning, Shooting, Post Offense, Passing, etc. Its obvious to anyone who has a brain and is realistic how badly this team has needed entirely new front office staff than NO & his prodigy, Joe Cronin. And thus all subsequent assistants, too. They've been truly terrible and incredibly repetitious, banging their heads against the same spot in the same brick wall over and over and over again. The Jerami Grant move was overall a understandable and decent one at the time it was made, but ultimately it HAD to pan out with a truly contending record at least for the WCF, if not further. Otherwise, we simply snagged a one year rental in him that will I GUARANTEE leave this offseason in free agency for a near max to max contract. JG is 28. He's now at the beginning of his prime. He's at the point where he can and will guaranteed get the biggest contract of his entire career, and likely his only one of the assured size this year. The Blazers are practically allergic to paying the luxury tax, and have been doing everything they can to avoid paying it... ...though they immediately went back into it again when they resigned Ant & Nurk, given that they traded CJ & NoPo "because they were owed $180M total and we want to avoid paying the luxury tax". Yet Ant & Nurk are owed... $180M. Yeah. Quality management right there. I sincerely believe anyone who thinks the team will be willing to pay JG that max or near max this offseason to be outright lunatics. And if you believe he's worth it too, even more so out of your mind. He didn't help improve the team this year. It didn't move the needle at all. So signing him to a near max or max makes absolutely zero logical sense and is 100% unjustifiable. And that's the facts. And clearly, we need to blow it up in the sense of the roster, too. Everyone has got to go. Yes, I would love to be able to keep Shae, Keon and Trendon, and MAYBE even Jabari. They're each young and clearly have a obscene amount of potential to grow into star or even possibly superstar players, and Trendon has the mentality, motor & work ethic to match it. Keon has the desire to listen & learn to achieve it too. Shae has the clear raw skills to do it himself already. And Jabari has a bit of each of those. But the reality is, there's no way we can truly maximize the potential for picks without giving up our young assets like these four. So we might be able to keep one, MAYBE two, but three feels too risky to attempt in all honesty. Either way, Ant is way worse overall than EVERYONE claims he is, he actually royally sucks ass and is infuriating to watch (yes he's young, but he's also in his 3rd or 4th year, and with the staff we have, he will NEVER learn how to be even remotely competent defensively, and likely no much better of a playmaker, which man does he often make really boneheaded plays), Nurk is easily at his lowest trade value of his entire career, and with his now massive contract, and his proven to be fragile body, alongside inconsistency in all parts of his game including his mental state & effort, so there won't be many if any teams that'd be willing to take him on unless we give them some extra value, like Ant or Shae with him at least, Dame is getting older but clearly at peak trade value, and then you have those same young guys with a lot of potential next in line in value. Outside of that, what the fuck do we have of value to trade? That itself is a huge issue. Dame & Ant will be about the only assets this team has that will fetch a lot of value in trades, whether retooling (which factually won't make us better, but definitely make us worse) or rebuilding/blowing it up without counting the guys anyone would do whatever they could to keep and not give up, even in a blow up scenario. Many people in the Blazers fan base demand we need a new coach (again) and to make a big trade for a high value player this offseason in order to "make the jump". They seriously believe that's what is needed as if that'll change anything at all. Do we need big men? OBVIOUSLY. WE NEED TRUE PGs TOO. But we did that too for a handful of years. And did it change anything? NO. NOTHING CHANGED. That PROVES it WON'T WORK. It PROVES the ENTIRE TEAM IS THE PROBLEM. This offseason we made a big trade for JG. Before that our big trades were for a defender in Josh Hart. Before that, it was for NoPo & Larry Nance Jr. We've tried it. And note, we had different coaches. Many blame Chauncey for being a horrid coach, as if Terry was better (and now they're truly demanding this to be true just by record alone) but the fact is, Terry is a WORSE coach than him. By far, in fact. Chauncey adapts. He experiments. He changes the lineups. He changes up the plays and the minutes. Terry Stotts? You could torture the guy, threaten to kill his family, and he wouldn't dare do anything of the sort. And of course Terry was incompetent as a defensive coach, while Jay Triano for a long time was his defensive coach. And... it did nothing. We had "strong wing defenders" in Mo Harkless & Al-Farouq. Nothing. The delusional fans then come back with "bUt We HaD oUr BeSt ReCoRd AnD dEfEnSe ThEn!" - yeah *16TH*. BOTTOM HALF OF THE NBA. Try again. Ultimately all we ever get is the same exact results, bullshit and excuses every single year. And we have for 10 straight seasons now. It HAS to change. ALL OF IT.

[@tims4502]

The moment the wolves put that deal together for Gobert, I wondered if Russell plus those 5 picks would have gotten Dame. Maybe they could have trades Russell as well to for a couple of prospects

[@teddyleandre]

Clearly not enough

[@jepewaters5201]

Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons are good but the rest of the roster is terrible

[@bitcoinethereum9702]

Billups is a horrendous NBA head coach

[@youngdoka7641]

if they really cared about him and his legacy they would trade him for draft picks let the team he goes to still have a competent roasters

[@Kaydenkwokx]

Dame doesn’t want to be traded, he wants his legacy to be staying with one team for the rest of his career. He said himself ringing chasing doesn’t always work out, and superstars end up being journeyman for the rest of their careers, like Westbrook/harden.

[@bitcoinethereum9702]

Thybulle is a WAY better piece than Hart buddy.

[@Rjbac]

I honestly think he will go to Milwaukee since he wants to play with giannis

[@gregbors8364]

He’ll be a free agent again in 2027

[@sebastianabsolution655]

dame failed lame dame. he sat bac all these yrs w/o demandin changes an a better roster. as the 'face' of the franchise after aldridge tucced his tail an ran off 2 san antonio dame shouldve picked out who he wanted ala LEroid an won sum chips. it doesnt help that he's never played defense either.😐😐

[@ollytropics1735]

Don't worry grant will be signed and traded to the Lakers for AD

[@xavierkinsey5295]

The Portland Trail blazers are a poverty franchise.

[@darrengordon-hill]

And Dame is a pity party.😊

[@WitnesstotheCrime]

Trading Dame is a great idea. The right team would give away their whole future to get him.

[@kaleb2758]

They need Dillon Brooks 🔥🔥

[@preoksaha4504]

The warriors should trade Jordan Poole for lillard 🤔 dubs would strive and blazers get a young player who would get more play more.

[@andrescarmonar.2646]

He should go to Jazz or Heat.

[@courtlandwilliams2275]

Move the blazers to Vegas 😮

[@courtlandwilliams2275]

Without dame Portland is the worst NBA team

[@MattBenn367]

This was never a make or break season.. the blazers are building cap space and trade material to makes moves.. spot with the absurd clickbait titles

[@jamesthomas89112]

Dame is getting what he wanted staying in Portland. No one should feel bad for him