Damian Lillard Returns to the Trail Blazers with a Million-Dollar Contract
The stellar basketball player, Damian Lillard, has agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers. The news, which has generated great anticipation among fans, confirms the player’s bond with the franchise where he has built a solid career.
Lillard’s agreement includes a player option for the 2027-2028 season and a no-trade clause, giving him significant control over his future in the NBA. This clause is a privilege he shares with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, both being the only players with this condition in their contracts.
The negotiation for Lillard’s return to the Trail Blazers was a process that involved multiple meetings between the player, general manager Joe Cronin, and head coach Chauncey Billups. The goal was to consolidate the union and move forward together in this new agreement.
The Milwaukee Bucks, the team Lillard recently played with, waived the 35-year-old player earlier this month. This allowed the Bucks to use the remaining money from his contract to sign center Myles Turner.Damian Lillard is finalizing his return to the Trail Blazers, the franchise with which he played the first 11 seasons of his career.Lillard will have a salary of 70 million dollars for the 2025-2026 season, adding the agreements with Portland and Milwaukee. In addition, he will receive 141 million dollars in the next two years, before being able to opt for the exit in 2027. The terms of the agreement were finalized this week by the Blazers executives and Aaron Goodwin, of Goodwin Sports Management.
In April, Lillard suffered an injury to his left Achilles tendon during the fourth game of the first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, and he underwent surgery in early May.
The player will take advantage of the 2025-2026 season to recover from his injury. His return to Portland, where his family resides, was a fundamental priority. In addition, he received offers from NBA contending teams.
The Blazers sent Lillard to the Bucks in exchange for Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, and assets in 2023. Subsequently, Holiday was traded to the Boston Celtics, who sent Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and other assets.
Now, the Blazers have Lillard and Holiday, in addition to Avdija, Williams, Camara, a 2029 first-round pick and two pick swaps from the Bucks.
The Blazers will look to improve on their performance from last season, where they finished with a 22-18 record. During that period, they ranked among the top five NBA teams in defense and third in transition defense.
Lillard played 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers, being selected seven times for the All-Star and seven times for the All-NBA teams. He led Portland to the playoffs on eight occasions, including an appearance in the Western Conference finals in 2018-19. He is the team’s all-time leader in points (19,376) and three-pointers (2,387), and ranks second in assists (5,151).
In total, including the regular season and playoffs, Lillard has recorded seven 55-point games with the Trail Blazers. No other player in franchise history has achieved such a feat.
