Neil Olshey: Blazers will never be receptive to trading Damian Lillard

Casey Holdahl: “We will never be receptive to moving Damian Lillard.” — Neil Olshey
Source: Twitter @CHold

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Jay Allen @PDXjay
Billups says Lillard is “two feet in” with the Blazers. “Dame wants exactly what we all want…to be successful and have a chance to win.” – 2:37 PM

Sean Highkin @highkin
Chauncey Billups: “Dame and I, our relationship started far before I became a head coach. I will never share anything I talked about with a player, but I will say this: Dame is either two feet in or two feet out. And he’s two feet in.” – 2:37 PM

Jason Quick @jwquick
Neil Olshey says Damian Lillard “is fired up to be here” and that the Blazers “will never be receptive of moving Dame.” – 2:35 PM

Jason Quick @jwquick
Neil Olshey says this is the deepest Trail Blazers roster since he began building around Damian Lillard in 2015. – 2:34 PM

Sean Highkin @highkin
Chauncey Billups calls Damian Lillard “the best point guard in the league.” – 2:30 PM

Jay Allen @PDXjay
Olshey on fielding calls from teams about Lillard: “We’re never going to be receptive to moving Dame.” – 2:10 PM

Sean Highkin @highkin
Neil Olshey: “Clearly, we were never going to be receptive to moving Dame. We’re never going to be receptive to moving Dame. He’s the bedrock of this organization and he’s going to be here as long as he’s happy.” – 2:10 PM

Casey Holdahl @CHold
“We will never be receptive to moving Dame.” — Neil Olshey – 2:09 PM

Jay Allen @PDXjay
Olshey on Lillard’s commitment to the @Portland Trail Blazers: “He wants to know that winning is as important to everybody as it is to him. As he grows in his career, that urgency accelerates. When Dame is in, he’s in…when he buys in, he’s all in.” #RipCity – 2:07 PM

Jay Allen @PDXjay
Olshey says he and Lillard communicate all the time: “Dame and I get along great.” #Blazers – 2:05 PM

Sean Highkin @highkin
Neil Olshey on Damian Lillard’s offseason: “Not to be a little glib, but he got married and won a gold medal. … Dame and I get along great.” – 2:05 PM

Sean Highkin @highkin
Neil Olshey: “This is probably the best depth we’ve had since we’ve built around Dame, in terms of guys you know.” – 2:02 PM

The Jump @_Talkin_NBA
Damian Lillard on what it will take for the Trail Blazers to have a successful season
(via @Dennis Scott of NBA TV)
#NBATwitter #NBAMediaDay pic.twitter.com/qppMwYzs1D – 1:09 PM

Michael Scotto @MikeAScotto
Ja Morant told me he’s a top 5 NBA point guard with Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook.
“The point guard position is so loaded. Some guys have to get left out,” @Ja Morant said.
More from our @Jorge Sierra chat. hoopshype.com/lists/ja-moran… – 9:07 AM

Damian Lillard @Dame_Lillard
S/o @aespinal21 for letting me use his NFL Sunday ticket log in to watch my @raiders !! 3-0 #justwinbaby – 8:02 PM

Damian Lillard @Dame_Lillard
Who got Sunday ticket log in I can use ? Lol – 4:11 PM

More on this storyline

In the two months that followed their first-round playoff flop against Phoenix, when Davis’ groin injury left them pulling up lame, the Lakers explored the prospect of trading for such stars as Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook. The process unfolded well beyond the team’s front office’s search, with James setting up a war room of his own at his Brentwood estate for some in-person player meetings while leading remote communications in other conversations. -via The Athletic / September 27, 2021

The group focused first on Lillard and Beal, but with no viable path to trading for either of them, turned their attention to more realistic targets: Westbrook, DeRozan, Hield and Kyle Lowry, who would eventually pursue a deal with the Miami Heat instead. -via The Athletic / September 27, 2021

There are many who believed then and continue to insist now that Damian Lillard was about ready to ask out; a source with knowledge of the situation believes Lillard is held back by both his loyalty to Portland and an unwillingness to go back on things he’s already said about sticking things out. He ultimately decided to give this another go, and Lillard has been provided roster upgrades and had a big voice in the coaching search. He may still ask out down the road, but only time will tell how long this honeymoon lasts. -via Philly Voice / September 22, 2021