Damian Lillard says he wants to stay in Portland
Trail Blazers three-time All-Star Damian Lillard made it clear Sunday he wasn’t looking to leave Portland despite rumors to the contrary.
“I’m not unhappy,” he said. “I love where I live. I love the organization. I love our coaching staff. I love where I am. Like I said last year, it’s the urgency I want, to make those steps in the right direction so we can compete. You’ve got people out here going all out to try to make it happen. I just want us to do the same thing, and I feel like we’re trying to do that.”
Lillard was at the Thomas & Mack Center watching the Blazers’ NBA Summer League team.
He said he was happy with a draft that produced Anfernee Simons in the first round and Gary Trent Jr. in the second. The Blazers acquired Trent in a trade with the Sacramento Kings.
But Lillard acknowledged the difficulty of signing free agents, especially in the loaded Western Conference.
“Obviously, it’s not like we’re a destination,” Lillard said. “I think once people come to Portland, a lot of my teammates I’ve had come and go, they realize it’s a much better city than they thought it would be. They see it’s raining all the time when they come and go. They don’t see the summers. They don’t see the good days. It’s tough to attract players to want to come here.”
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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
