Damian Lillard trades swirling rumors with Knicks in anxious chase

Star goalie Damian Lillard is expected to report after Team USA practice on Friday, saying he’s days away from asking the Blazers for a trade.

Last week, Lillard didn’t end the rampant speculation when The Post asked him if he was considering a deal. Lillard said the words did not come out of his mouth and that Blazers general manager Neil Olshey knows exactly how he feels. Lillard also didn’t approve of Chauncey Billups’ controversial new hire at this Team USA press conference.

TrueHoop.com reported on Friday morning that Lillard was days away from requesting a trade. The Post has repeatedly reported that Lillard would likely be drawn to the Knicks’ situation because their assistant coach Johnnie Bryant is one of his Oakland mentors.

The Knicks have been monitoring Lillard’s situation for months, interested in putting together a package for the Blazers superstar. The Post reported that the Knicks would likely be willing to trade three picks in the first round. Time is running out with the upcoming July 29 NBA Draft and the Knicks need to know if they should pursue the prosecution of PG Collin Sexton, among others.

In an interview with Yahoo published Friday morning, Lillard reiterated how deeply upset he was when ousted in the first round of a Nuggets team playing without Jamal Murray and Will Barton. Lillard expressed that feeling that night after the series loss and again last week with the same pain, saying he joined the Olympic team to clear his mind.

“I think that’s where we’re at as a team where all of us, not just me, not just my teammates, not just our new coaching staff, the front office, everyone in this organization. has to look at ourselves in the mirror because we constantly run out, “said Lillard.” We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and say I have to be better because whatever we do isn’t working and that doesn’t give us the chance to compete at the level at which we want to compete.

“We don’t lose much, but we were knocked out by a shorthanded Denver team that I thought we should have beaten. I just came out really disappointed. I was like, ‘Dude, this is not going to work.’ We don’t win the championship, but we have a strong organization. ”