Damian Lillard did not mince words when he revealed his thoughts and how he was handling CJ McCollum now playing for New Orleans.
The duo had been playing side-by-side in Portland since the 2013–14 season until earlier this month, when McCollum was traded to the Pelicans along with Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell in exchange for Josh Hart, Tomáš Satoranský, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, a future first-round pick and a pair of second-round picks.
“You get to a point where maybe something has run its course. You gotta reroute yourself and try to figure out what’s the best thing, what’s the best angle to take at this point,” Lillard said on an upcoming episode of The Draymond Green Show. “That s--- was tough to deal with, bruh, I ain’t gonna lie. You know when you know something could be coming and you know that it’s a possibility, but when it happens it’s different, like damn! And I’ve kinda been stuck in that space the whole time.
“Like I’ve been watching every game in New Orleans like, damn, he really ain’t coming back. It’s over. That’s kind of where I’ve been at. I still kinda haven’t even really moved past it because I ain’t have to play. ... The end of an era, bruh.”
Lillard has been out since January after having surgery to repair an abdominal injury.
Through their eight seasons together, the Trail Blazers made a playoff run each campaign—the longest active streak in the league. Last season ended with an early loss to the Nuggets during the first round, and the franchise seems to continue its struggles this season, sitting at 10th in the Western Conference at 25–34.
McCollum has thrived in New Orleans, averaging 28.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game thus far. However, his new team sits even further down in the rankings than Portland, with the Pelicans in 12th at 23–36.
