The Portland Trail Blazers introduced two new players Friday, but at the same time, the head of basketball operations had to tamp down rumors about the team's best player.
Shortly after NBA superstar LeBron James announced he was joining the Los Angeles Lakers, they mentioned other stars they wanted to add. At the top of that list was Blazers' all-star point guard Damian Lillard.
Lillard was asked on Twitter whether he would be "happy" if the Blazers traded him to LA.
I’m typically a happy camper https://t.co/LvFoTwlEFW
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 4, 2018
Lillard answered, "I'm typically a happy camper."
Lillard has said in the past that he'd like to remain with the Blazers, but he would consider moving on if he felt the team wasn't taking steps to improve.
Blazers general manager Neil Olshey was asked about the interest in Lillard from the Lakers and LeBron James at the press conference Friday.
"As much as I love LeBron, the NBA isn't his personal game at Rucker, so he doesn't get to pick his teammates," Olshey said.
"Rucker" is a reference to Harlem's Rucker Park, a storied court where NBA stars like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson have shown up to play over the years.
Olshey emphasized the team's commitment to Lillard, and Lillard's commitment to the Blazers.
“Damian is out there working; Damian is here; Damian has three years left on his contract," Olshey said.
"This isn’t the world of ‘let’s send out a couple of texts on a string and see who wants to run with us’ – this is the NBA.”
Olshey introduced two new Blazers expected to add shooting off the bench.
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The Blazers introduced Seth Curry, the younger brother of Golden State Warriors' star Stephen Curry. The younger Curry has played for five teams in four seasons, after playing college basketball at Duke University.
The Blazers also introduced Nik Stauskas, who played for Philadelphia and Brooklyn last year.
Olshey also had to defend the Blazers' allowing several popular players to leave the roster this offseason, including forward Ed Davis, and guards Pat Connaughton and Shabazz Napier. Part of Olshey's answer is that he'll be having conversations with his NBA counterparts throughout the summer, about possible trades to improve the team.
The Trail Blazers had previously introduced their first-round pick in the 2018 draft, Anfernee Simons, a 19-year-old who played at IMG Academy in Florida last year.