The Damian Lillard saga was one of the most intriguing topics during the NBA offseason. The 31-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from the Portland Trail Blazers as he was understood to be wanting a trade.
Dame was reportedly unhappy with the team's failures to push for the championship and considered joining another team to chase the ring. However, Lillard ultimately stayed at the only franchise he has played for.
Although that may have sent a strong message to those who wanted him to leave, there are still people who expect him to want out if the team has a weak start to the new season. But Lillard let them knew he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Damian Lillard makes firm commitment to Portland regardless of start to 2021-22 NBA season
For a long time in the summer it seemed inevitable that Lillard would be leaving Portland after nine years. But this saga ended up having a huge twist as the point guard decided to give it another shot with the franchise that drafted him in 2012.
Still, that didn't seem enough to put trade rumors to rest. That's why Lillard made clear he won't be leaving Portland regardless of how the new-looked team begins the season.
“I’m not leaving Portland… Adversity is going to hit, there’s going to be tough times. So if it starts off rocky or if it starts out as a struggle I won’t be happy about it, nobody would. But I’m not going to jump ship and bail out when that happens,” Lillard said, as quoted by Casey Holdahl.
Actions speak louder than words, and Dame didn't have to say anything to show his commitment with Portland, it was his decision to stay that said everything by itself. But sometimes it's hard to shut down the rumors, so he made clear - again - that he's not moving anywhere, in case some people still doubted it.
