The Portland Trail Blazers are in a delicate spot with Damian Lillard. They still don’t want to trade him to the Miami Heat, but he hasn’t changed his mind about his desire to be traded.
Lillard is undisputedly one of the greatest — if not the greatest — player in franchise history, even if he didn’t lead them to the Finals or a championship like some before him.
That’s why Anfernee Simons always dreamed of asking him for a signed jersey once he retired with the Blazers. But now that he may join another NBA team before that, he might have to speed up that request.
Anfernee Simons Wants Lillard To Give Him A Signed Jersey
“I was hoping to ask for signed jersey when he retired from Portland but I mean, if he ends up somewhere else I’m going to have to ask for it before,” Simons told Aron J. Fentress. “He taught me so much about the game, being professional, how to workout, how to carry yourself in this type of environment, how to handle success. He’s taught me a lot of things that have set me up in my career.”
“So obviously, those lessons will be missed and hopefully, I’ll obviously carry what he’s taught to me onto the other young players as well,” the young guard continued.
Lillard was always a mentor and a leader to the young players, but he grew sick and tired of not being able to compete at the highest level. Even so, it feels like his stalemate with the team is far from over.