Writing may be on the wall for Damian Lillard’s season and the Portland Trail Blazers.
NBA insider Chris Haynes said on this week’s episode of ‘#thisleague UNCUT!’ audio files that the Blazers may be close to eliminating seven-time All-Star guard Lillard of the season due to a right calf injury.
“Dame may have five or six games left before Portland can let him out for the season,” said Haynes, who later added that “[i]If these next five, six games, they continue to struggle, I would suspect… at that point, maybe it’s not worth it.
Haynes’ words carry weight in this situation. He is known to have a good relationship with Lillard and the Blazers, often act as their direct channel of communication.
33-year-old Lillard’s calf problem kept him on the injury report for most of March. With just 13 games left on their regular season schedule, the Blazers hold a sour 31-38 record, a record that saw them drop 2.5 games after a single league spot.
While Lillard recently signed a big extension with the Blazers to keep him under contract until at least 2026, this will be the second consecutive season Portland is absent after a 20-team season. This after being eliminated in the first round in each of the previous two campaigns.
The current lost season could certainly spark another set of rumors over the summer as to whether the still-retired Lillard could seek a more consistently successful organization.
