On March 22, Beijing time, the Blazers officially announced that Lillard will continue to recover in the next few weeks, and he has also determined to miss all the remaining games of the season. In January, Lillard underwent abdominal tendon repair surgery. Trail Blazers officials also revealed that Lillard is currently recovering well, but the team believes it is more beneficial for him not to play again.
So far this season, Lillard has played just 29 regular-season games with injuries, averaging 36.4 minutes per game and having 24 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He shot 40.2 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three-point range and 87.8 percent from the free throws. His average of points per game is a new low in nearly seven seasons, and his shooting and three-point shooting percentage is the lowest in his entire career.
Plagued by an abdominal tendon injury, Lillard has been in a slump this season. He shot just 26.7 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from three-point range in key moments. In fact, Lillard has not played for the team since January 1. In the last two months, he has all but disappeared from the sight of fans.
Lillard was selected with the 6th pick in the first round in 2012, while McCollum was the 10th pick in the 2013 first round. Before the trade deadline this season, McCollum was sent to the Pelicans by the Blazers, who parted ways in the backcourt for eight and a half seasons. They averaged 20 points per game for six seasons and played at least 60 percent of the regular season that season.
In the history of the NBA, the only duo that can meet these conditions at the same time is Elgin Baylor and Jerry West (8 seasons), and the OK combination and the Splash Brothers are both 5 seasons. Although the Blazers have a stable double gun in the backcourt, they do not have the ability to compete for the championship, which is also a big reason why the team decided to trade CJ.
Lillard said: "Although we did not win the championship and reached the finals, my partner with CJ was successful. We've finished 3rd in the division twice, we've also finished 4th and 5th, and we've been to the Western Conference Finals. "CJ is out of the team, will the Blazers trade Lillard? Not at the moment, the Blazers will continue to build a lineup around him.
This offseason, Lillard is eligible to sign a two-year, $107 million early contract extension. His current contract is $176 million for 4 years, expiring in 2025. Coupled with a 2-year contract extension, Lillard's contract expires in the summer of 2027, when he will be 37 years old. If he renews his contract with the team this summer, it is likely to play in Portland until retirement.
In that big deal, the Blazers sent out CJ, Nance Jr. and Snell, and from the Pelicans Josh Hart, Satoransky, Alexander Walker, Silva, 1 first-round pick this year (top four protection) and 2 second-round picks. In his last five games, Hart has averaged 28.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 51 percent from three-point range.
Hart may be able to fill the gap in CJ's departure, but the Blazers' other positions also need to be reinforced. Previously, it was reported that the Blazers were chasing Pistons forward Grant, but ultimately failed to reach a deal. In addition, Trail Blazers center Nurkic has been injured continuously, playing only 101 games in the last three seasons.
The Trail Blazers are currently 27-44 and rank 12th in the West. There's no hope of making the playoffs, and Blazers management should think about how to reinforce this summer.