Should the Portland Trail Blazers finally trade Damian Lillard?
By Dan Bennett
The Portland Trail Blazers fired general manager Neil Olshey last week after an independent investigation found that he had violated the team’s code of conduct.
No further details were released by the team, only that he was fired after an investigation was conducted regarding “concerns around workplace environment by non-player personnel at the practice facility”. According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, staff had complained of a “hostile work environment” created by Olshey.
Should the Portland Trail Blazers finally trade Damian Lillard?
It was the latest in a number of significant changes for the franchise in recent years. Chris McGowan, former president and CEO, stepped down last month, and Terry Stotts was replaced as head coach by Chauncey Billups, having been in the job since 2012.
It came after a change at the very top of the franchise in 2018 when Jody Allen inherited the Trail Blazers franchise following the death of her brother Paul Allen.
Almost everything around the team has changed, but not the team itself. Portland kept things the same by starting the season with the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum backcourt and Jusuf Nurkic at center. Minor tweaks have been made in recent years, such as the addition of Norman Powell, but the core of the team has remained consistent.
And with Portland set to appoint someone a new GM, whether that be the current interim Joe Cronin or someone else, has the time come to end the Damian Lillard era and move in a new direction?