Damian Lillard will go down as one of the most loyal stars in the NBA. Dame has been with the Portland Trail Blazers since he joined the NBA. Arguably, Lillard’s jersey is going on the Portland rafters. In an NBA where players are teaming with their friends to gain an edge over the others, and win a championship, Dame is still loyal. Dame’s loyalty to the Blazers comes from his learnings as a young player.
When collegiate programs came recruiting Dame after his high school, he committed to a college called Weber State since they were the first to commit to him. Things panned out for Dame as he eventually was drafted by Portland itself. The real question is, has Dame’s loyalty reached its expiration?
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The start player posted a cryptic Instagram story wherein Steve Harvey voiceovers a monologue on expired loyalty. This points to the fact that Dame has been loyal to the Blazers and, as the good guy, he will continue to be loyal even when he should not. Dame is rumored to be signing a 2-year $100 million extension, but the free agency rumors of him and Kevin Durant make that less than likely.
Damian Lillard’s loyalty to the Blazers
Only time will tell if Damian Lillard’s loyalty has run its course or not. Dame has signed with the Blazers every time he has had the opportunity or has been a free agent.
The #TrailBlazers are pushing to lock in Damian Lillard to a SuperMax extension this summer. The 28-year old would be adding 4 years, $196M to the 2 years remaining on his current contract.
2019: $29.8M
2020: $31.6M
2021: $43.75M
2022: $47.25M
2023: $50.75M
2024: $54.25M— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 30, 2019
The Portland Trail Blazers have made the Western Conference Finals once with Dame. On multiple occasions, they have failed to get out of the first round. With the Mc Collum-Lillard duo being broken this past season, Lillard may finally be open to a change in scenery.
Recently, Lillard posted an Instagram story that said,” Hard truth. Feed em with a slingshot.” The Steve Harvey monologue Dame posted said, “Loyalty has an expiration date.”
View this post on Instagram
It is unclear what Damian Lillard meant by this, but the post was about loyalty and it is possible that Dame was taking shots at the Blazers. Dame has been too loyal to Rip city and possibly to a fault.
READ MORE:?Damian Lillard 2022: Net worth, salary, and endorsements
The post was talking about how too much loyalty is not good for anyone. This might just be the case for Lillard.
Is Kevin Durant going to link up with Damian Lillard?
Recently, Dame posted a story where Durant was in a Portland Jersey. It is possible that Durant’s trade rumors have put Lillard in second thoughts about re-signing with the franchise.
Damian Lillard posted this photo with Kevin Durant on Instagram 👀 pic.twitter.com/a5DpWxqaqA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 25, 2022
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Damian Lillard is due for a $100 million extension, but according to sources, it is not a sure thing. It would be interesting if Durant went back to the West and played with a star 3-point shooting point guard like Dame. In many ways, Dame and Stephen Curry are similar, so Durant would not find it difficult to find success in Portland.
It is unlikely that Lillard wins a championship with the way the current roster is designed. Dame needs a supporting crew that has some veteran experience. Durant would be a perfect fit for Portland. However, Portland does not have the assets to trade for a Kevin Durant.
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Let us know in the comments if you think Dame links up with Durant this season!