Blazers still want to continue to build around Damian Lillard
Adrian Wojnarowski on the Blazers: They’ve been very active in the trade market. They want to continue to build around Damian Lillard. They’ve had discussions on players like Robert Covington or Jusuf Nurkic.
Source: YouTube
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Kevin Pelton @kpelton
Wrote about how the next few weeks will be key to the Blazers figuring out how to handle the trade deadline and Damian Lillard’s possible return after abdominal surgery: es.pn/3zSSdus (ESPN+) – 8:09 PM
Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
So, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Anfernee Simons are ALL OUT tomorrow night against the Nuggets.
I don’t care who plays for Denver outside of Jokić. The Nuggets need to win tomorrow. Division game at home, a get right opportunity of sorts. – 7:58 PM
Jeff Stotts @InStreetClothes
Thread Re: Lillard: Hard to definitively say what surgery means or come up w/ a good comp moving forward without knowing the exact nature of his injury. The area of concern has multiple muscles that could be in play as this is the transition area from the abdomen & groin. 1/5 – 6:26 PM
Jamie Hudson @JamieHudson_
Blazers Injury Report:
Zeller (right patellar) is doubtful.
Powell (health and safety protocols), Lillard (abdominal tendinopathy), McCollum (right lung pneumothorax), Nance Jr. (right knee) and Anfernee Simons (personal reasons) are out for tomorrow night’s game at Denver – 6:26 PM
Casey Holdahl @CHold
Cody Zeller (right patellar fracture) is doubtful and Norman Powell (health/safety protocols), Damian Lillard (abdominal tendinopathy), CJ McCollum (right lung pneumothorax), Larry Nance Jr. (right knee) and Anfernee Simons (personal reasons) are out for Thurs. game vs. Nuggets – 6:26 PM
Mike Richman @mikegrich
I’m sure Dame wants to play again this year. Shoot I bet he wants to play tomorrow night. But it is very hard for me to imagine him playing basketball again this season. Timelines or whatever. – 6:08 PM
Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
Damian Lillard’s upcoming absence due to his abdominal surgery could be the best path forward for the Trail Blazers. Get Dame healthy, reshuffle the roster, lose more games and have higher draft odds. This is the best way to build a winner around Dame again. – 6:03 PM
Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes
Yahoo Sources: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard to undergo surgery tomorrow for an abdomen issue and will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks. sports.yahoo.com/sources-damian… – 5:52 PM
Sean Highkin @highkin
As I wrote Monday (bleacherreport.com/articles/29522…), this is the best plan for all involved. If Blazers are going to give Dame a $107m extension into his mid 30s (which he wants), they’d like for this injury to be fully healed so he ages well and this isn’t lingering. – 5:51 PM
Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will undergo surgery tomorrow to address his abdomen injury and he will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks, league sources @YahooSports. – 5:46 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
I don’t think Damian Lillard being out changes anything for him being traded. But I do think it opens the Blazers up to do moves they might not have otherwise. Nurkic and Covington for sure, since they are on expiring deals., Maybe Powell. Maybe McCollum.
Reset w/ a high pick. – 5:45 PM
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will undergo surgery on Thursday for his abdominal injury and will be sidelined indefinitely, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. – 5:45 PM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Report: Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard to undergo (not necessarily season-ending) surgery nba.nbcsports.com/2022/01/12/rep… – 5:42 PM
Brian Windhorst @WindhorstESPN
Damian Lillard is planning to have surgery in the near future to address a lingering abdominal injury, sources told ESPN. The procedure isn’t expected to be season-ending but that is to be determined. – 5:26 PM
More on this storyline
Brian Windhorst on the Blazers: You wonder if there’s Tankathon coming. And people in the league are already watching… Will Covington get traded? Will Norman Powell be traded? You know, will they try to clear out some stuff because Anfernee Simons is playing great too. Will they clear out some some space for him to sign him? -via Spotify / January 8, 2022
There are a lot of different ways the Trail Blazers’trade deadline can go whether it’s trading a very large salary like C.J. McCollum, or an expiring mid-sized contract like Robert Covington or Jusuf Nurkic. Atrade involving one Covington and Nurkic could easily get them below the luxury tax this season, while also getting rid of the obligation to re-sign them this offseason since they’re already pressed up towards the 2022-23 luxury tax. -via HoopsHype / January 8, 2022
