The Trail Blazers selected point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, and on the heels of that selection, it does not appear there is any more clarity on the future of star Damian Lillard.
Lillard, who made it known to Portland brass that he didn’t want to be a part of a rebuild, has not formally requested a trade. In fact, he has not had any recent communication with members of the Trail Blazers front office involving the draft, free agency or his future, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told SportsCenter‘s Scott Van Pelt following the draft that Portland intends to continue to build around Lillard this summer unless the franchise hears otherwise. Jerami Grant is a priority to bring back into the fold, and the Trail Blazers see the combination of Lillard and Henderson in the backcourt to be formidable moving forward.
In addition, Wojnarowski noted that teams around the league called the Trail Blazers leading up to draft night, and Portland shut down all inquiries regarding Lillard’s availability.
However, if Lillard were to request a trade, Portland is expected to accommodate him.
The soon-to-be 33 year-old averaged a career-high 32.3 points per game on 46.3% shooting, while also averaging 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
