Report: Trail Blazers ‘leaning toward’ shutting down Damian Lillard

The Portland Trail Blazers are considering shutting down star point guard Damian Lillard for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, according to a report from The Athletic. Lillard has missed time due to calf injuries at multiple points over the course of the season.

Lillard missed Portland’s loss Friday to the Chicago Bulls due to a calf injury. He last played against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, scoring 30 points in a Portland win. The Trail Blazers are 32-41 with nine games left in the regular season, and currently sit 3.5 games back of 10th place (and final play-in spot) in the Western Conference.

Lillard has scored more than 20 points in each of his past 32 games, a stretch dating back to Jan. 8. He has individual performances of 60 points (Jan. 25 versus Utah) and 71 points (Feb. 26 against the Houston Rockets) in that span.

[NBA says drug tests remain random, despite convenient timing after 71-point performances]

Despite another disappointing season for Portland, Lillard has been adamant that he will not seek a trade from the Trail Blazers, recently claiming that other stars who have changed teams in recent years — such as Russell Westbrook — may have inadvertently hurt their public perception by doing so.

Lillard is averaging a career-high 32.2 points per game over 58 games played this season. He also has 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game and is shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range.

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