Damian Lillard tried to recruit Kelly Oubre Jr. to Blazers after 2020-21 season?

Despite rumors that Damian Lillard might be traded this summer, the Portland Trail Blazers have had a quiet offseason, re-signing Norman Powell and bringing in a few role players. 

In an interview with The Athletic's Jason Quick, Lillard addressed his disappointment in Portland not being able to get some of its top targets this summer. 

Apparently, one of those targets was Kelly Oubre Jr. Lillard reached out to the 25-year-old, who spent the 2020-21 campaign with the Golden State Warriors, with a recruiting pitch. The six-time All-Star was unable to convince Oubre to take the taxpayer mid-level exception with the Blazers, which is worth less than $6 million in the first year.

"It wasn't anything deep other than would he be open to it, and he said he was," Lillard said. "I liked Oubre as a complement to other guys I thought we would be able to get. We didn't get them."

Oubre ended up signing with the Charlotte Hornets on a two-year deal worth more than $26 million. It's not hard to see why he turned down the opportunity to play with Lillard and the Trail Blazers. The Kansas product was hoping to get even more money in free agency but had to settle for what he got from Charlotte. 

Portland essentially has the same roster as last season despite the departures of Carmelo Anthony and Zach Collins. The starting lineup is the same, and the bench got some solid additions in Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore and Tony Snell. 

Lillard is not expected to request a trade out of Portland, but that could always change, especially if the Blazers fail to make a deep playoff run next season.