Damian Lillard isn’t down with superteams. In an interview with Sirius XM, the Blazers’ All-Star said he’s not ready to team up with other stars to chase rings. He’d rather compete with the guys he’s got in Portland and try to take down the “monster” that has formed in Oakland.
“If somebody wants to go join people and do that, it’s not against the rules. They can do it. It’s just more pressure to win when you do it. Some people say, ‘Oh, they had to do that to win it,’ but we play the game to win it. So when people do it, that’s their decision. I wouldn’t do it. That’s just not who I am.
“I might have too much pride for that or be too much of a competitor where I couldn’t bring myself to do it, but it also makes it more fun. You get to take a monster down and that’s always fun.”
Lillard has yet to be a free agent and won’t be one for another five years. Last summer, he signed a $140 million contract extension that kicked in this year and runs through the 2020-21 season.
Lillard’s Blazers overachieved last season, winning 44 games and reaching the conference semifinals after losing four of their five starters to free agency. They added Evan Turner this summer and will have cap space to add more to their core next year.
