Advertisement - scroll for more content
Goodwin communicated to the Blazers that Lillard would stay in Portland, but after months of speculation, the team wanted to resolve the request by training camp, sources told ESPN. With a week to go, Lillard was traded to Milwaukee. "More than anything, it was miscommunications and misunderstandings," Lillard said. "Joe and I never talked about [a potential return]. It just sat out there and we let it be what it was, I think that was the mistake." But just a few months after the trade, steps toward a potential reunion started to take shape. Goodwin and Cronin had a conversation in January, where they identified the gaps in their communication and said that if there were any hard feelings, they had long since dissipated.
As soon as Lillard became the unlikeliest of free agents, the Blazers made their interest known. Cronin went to meet Lillard at his Portland home, sources told ESPN, to see the franchise icon surrounded by his family, to check on how he was doing, both mentally and physically with the rehab of his torn Achilles. As they talked, they each presented their respective vision for the team's future. "It wasn't a long conversation to move past that, and that was because we never had a bad relationship or it was never a dislike," Lillard said.
Sean Highkin: Damian Lillard on his relationship with Joe Cronin: "Toward the end, it was a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunications. When that happens, feelings are hurt. Joe and I never sat down and talked about that. We let it be and it sat out there. That was the mistake."
Sean Highkin: Neither Joe Cronin or Damian Lillard outright said Dame won't play this upcoming season but both were very clear that they're focused on the long-term recovery and it will take as long as it takes.
Advertisement
Shams Charania: Portland traded Damian Lillard for Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, and assets in 2023 -- then Holiday to Boston for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon and assets. Now, the Blazers have both Lillard and Holiday, plus Williams, Camara, a 2029 first-rounder and two Bucks swaps.
Advertisement
Kerry Eggers: Given the current roster, I asked Joe Cronin if @trailblazers are a playoff team next season. “Possibly. I really like where we are headed. I love the steps we took last year. I am excited about the steps we are going to take this year and beyond. I would love to get through this transaction window a little further. We still have a trade window and free agency coming up, but as is, with the stuff we have done already and the guys we have coming back, I am very excited about this group. I don’t necessarily have expectations of them reaching some benchmark other than I want them to get better every day, every week, every month.”
Kerry Eggers: ' @trailblazers GM Joe Cronin, after watching the recent NBA playoffs: “I have noticed the way the really successful teams think the game. Their basketball IQ, their skill sets, their ability to make each other better are a critical component to winning games. That is where Yang (Hansen) will help us. His basketball IQ is very high. He makes others better. That is what we are trying to do, to find guys who supplement and build up each other.”
Kerry Eggers: ' @trailblazers GM Joe Cronin on 7-2, 260-pound draft pick Yang Hansen: “Yang is mature physically already. He is strong, firm and sturdy and can withstand the strength of the NBA guys. It is extremely difficult to find a young player of that stature with this skill set. Big men who can do all the things he can do typically succeed in our league. It might take him a little time, but as he figures out the speed and pace of our game, I wouldn’t put a ceiling on him. He is that talented."
Kerry Eggers: Joe Cronin, when I asked Cronin why @trailblazers didn’t move down even more than No. 16 in the draft to take Yang Hansen, where he might reap even more in return. Was he concerned another team would take Hansen soon after No. 16? “The goal was to get as far back as possible. We didn’t want to overdraft if we didn’t have to, (but) we weren’t … comfortable beyond 16. It was too important for us to get him. We decided to do what some would call ‘a reach.’ We decided to take that swing and overdraft a player we really value.” #RipCity
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement