Damian Lillard claims Portland should never have gone ahead with LaMarcus Aldridge trade

Damian Lillard is now officially second on the all-time scorers' list for the Portland Trail Blazers. The man on the third position, however, has quite a bit of history with Damian Lillard. The LaMarcus Aldridge trade went down in 2015 when Damian Lillard was three years into his Trail Blazers career, but Damian Lillard still rues what could have been, had the LaMarcus Aldridge trade fallen through. 

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LaMarcus Aldridge trade: Damian Lillard claims Trail Blazers could have secured NBA championship had LaMarcus Aldridge stayed

The LaMarcus Aldridge trade went down in 2015 when the now-San Antonio Spurs man was second on the list of the leading scorers in Trail Blazers history. LaMarcus Aldridge, a seven-time NBA All-Star, departed Portland as a free agent and signed a four-year, $84 million contract with the Spurs in 2015. The LaMarcus Aldridge trade then led to the former Trail Blazers man signing a two-year, $50 million extension in October 2017, which will keep him in San Antonio through next season. 

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In a recent appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, Damian Lillard opened up on the LaMarcus Aldridge trade and what it meant for the franchise following his exit. “When I look back on it, I just be like, ‘Damn.’ ‘Cause if me and him would’ve stayed teammates and I could get to the level that I’m at now, I’m like, O.K., we could’ve for sure got one (championship).” Damian Lillard then proceeded to refer to the Trail Blazers' run in 2013 as a measure of what could have been for the franchise, had the LaMarcus Aldridge trade fallen through.

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“Our very first playoff against Houston (Rockets) in Game 1 he (LaMarcus Aldridge) had like 46 and 18. And he fouled out. And this is my first playoff game and I ended up with like 30 and seven and something. I finished the game off. So it’s like we could’ve had a lot of those situations where it’s like when you go down or when you step out, I’ll take it over.” - Damian Lillard on the Knuckleheads podcast

The Portland Trail Blazers currently find themselves on the outside looking in, when it comes to a spot in the playoffs. The Trail Blazers added Carmelo Anthony to their roster earlier this season and the former Knicks star's arrival has strengthened the Trail Blazers ever since. Carmelo Anthony dropped 25 points against the visiting Washington Wizards this week, second only to the ever-impressive Bradley Beal, who dropped 29 points in a losing cause. The Damian Lillard points tonight section also made for interesting reading with the five-time All-Star 22 points on his return from injury. 

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