“Damian Lillard has to leave Portland if he wants to win a title”: Stephen A. Smith predicts a bleak future for Blazers MVP if he continues to play for the Trail Blazers

Stephen A. Smith says that if Damian Lillard stays with the Portland Trail Blazers for the rest of his career, he won’t win a championship. 

The NBA is no stranger to having MVP caliber players reside in situations that could be best described as ‘no-mans land’. LeBron James made his move from Cleveland to Miami when he realized the Cavs front office wasn’t competent enough to surround him with the necessary talent to win the chip.

Wilt Chamberlain and Kevin Durant did the same thing during their own primes. 

Damian Lillard is in the boat as those superstars were. He’s had continual postseason shortcomings over the past 9 years, usually settling for a first or second-round exit at the hands of the eventual NBA champions. The closest he’s ever come to sniffing the Finals was when a Durant-less Warriors team swept his Blazers in the WCF. 

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Stephen A. Smith believes that if Damian Lillard continues to ride with the Blazers, he may never claim his ever-elusive, first ever championship. 

Stephen A. Smith calls for Damian Lillard to leave the Portland TrailBlazers. 

Stephen A. Smith has been on Dame’s case to make his exit from Portland, for quite some time now. A couple days back, Smith called for Lillard to leave the TrailBlazers as Portland isn’t a big enough market for him to thrive in. He then suggested that the Blazers star look in the Knicks’ direction as a potential landing spot. 

Portland, I’m sorry. But I wish @Dame_Lillard was in another market. pic.twitter.com/fKSMTbyp7j

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 5, 2021

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He continues to reiterate this belief of his and claims he’s told Dame and teammate CJ McCollum this in person. “Leaving Portland. It’s very simple to me. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve told Damian Lillard this. I’ve told CJ McCollum this. In order for them to win a title, one of them is going to be moved for a big-time asset.” 

It seems unfathomable that Neil Olshey and the Blazers front office would ever try to hash out any sort of deal that involves Damian Lillard. Lillard has expressed his loyalty to the Blazers on multiple occasions, claiming there’s more to his decision to stay in Portland than just basketball. 

The Oakland native has also compared his situation to Eastern Conference guard Bradley Beal who’s also in a slightly similar situation. “Beal has the same feeling about it as I have. I just don’t want to go elsewhere. I’m sure he feels the same way.”