Portland Trail Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard attempted to shut down any chatter about him forcing a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, telling reporters he's "not unhappy."
"I'm not unhappy," Lillard said Sunday, according to The Oregonian. "I love where I live. I love the organization. I love our coaching staff. I love where I am."
Shortly after LeBron James signed with the Lakers as a free agent, a report surfaced suggesting Lillard could be traded to the Lakers but Blazers' GM Neil Olshey promptly responded to the report, "As much as I love LeBron, he doesn’t get to pick his teammates. That’s not how it works. This isn’t the world of sending a couple of texts out and see who wants to run with us."
Portland finished third in the Western Conference last season with a 49-33 record, but were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. This offseason, the Blazers failed to re-sign big man Ed Davis, as well as Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton.
"I loved Ed," Lillard said, according to The Oregonian. "One of my best friends in the league [and] favorite teammates I've played with. To lose him, that's a loss for our team. Bazz played big minutes for us. Pat played big minutes for us. So we lose three rotation players that gave us a lot, that contributed to our season last year."
Lillard, 27, is under contract with the Blazers for the next three seasons.
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