Damian Lillard, after signing a contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, experienced an emotional homecoming with his children. The agreement, which was finalized over the weekend, is for three years and 42 million dollars, and includes a no-trade clause and an option for the player to retire after two seasons.
Lillard made his first public statements about the agreement at a press conference on Monday night, along with Blazers coach Chauncecy Billups and general manager Joe Cronin. Before the 2023-24 season, Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, at his request, after playing eleven seasons with the Blazers. Known for pointing to his wrist in a “Dame Time” gesture after making big shots, Lillard, a nine-time All-Star, is very beloved in Portland. However, he won’t be back on the Moda Center court anytime soon. In April, during a first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Lillard suffered a rupture of his left Achilles tendon, requiring surgery that will likely sideline him for the 2025-26 season. At the beginning of this month, the Bucks released him and spread the remaining $113 million of his contract over five years. I told him that this year he was going to be the highest-paid assistant coach in league history because I’m going to put him to work every day. Lillard did not rule out the possibility of returning to the court in the 2025-26 season, but Cronin stated that the team will wait “as long as necessary”.Knowing that I’m going to be back home for all facets of my life, with my children, playing for the Trail Blazers, driving on the same streets I’ve traveled for almost all of my adult life, with all my family here, my mother, my brother, my sisters, all my friends in the city of Portland.
Damian Lillard
Last season, Lillard, who was selected for his ninth All-Star selection, ranked 10th in the league in scoring (24.9) and assists (7.1). However, he was limited to playing 58 games due to deep vein thrombosis. In 2022-23, his last season in Portland before the trade, he averaged 32.2 points, the highest figure of his career. That season, he became the seventh player in NBA history to score more than 70 points in a game, finishing with 71 against the Houston Rockets. During Lillard’s time, Portland only won four playoff series, reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Lillard always insisted that there were no hard feelings about his separation from the Blazers. He wanted to try to win a championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, while Portland focused on the development of young players like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Lillard, who has a footwear deal with Adidas, hinted at an event at the company’s North American headquarters in 2024 that he might be willing to return to the Blazers. He never imagined that an injury would accelerate the timeline. Lillard, chosen at number 6 in the 2012 draft by Portland, holds the franchise records for points (19,376) and three-pointers (2,387). With Portland, he has had five games of 60 or more points. In his career, Lillard has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was included in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Lillard commented that his children finally understood the importance of his return home during that weekend trip.My proud self would think differently, but I think with age, you become wiser. As Joe said, it’s ultimately going to be the best, I think, to take as much time as possible to make sure I’m right, that’s what I’ll do.
Damian Lillard
I arrived at a red light and turned around and my daughter looked at me and I said. And she said to me: ‘Wait, so, do we no longer have to get on a plane to go to Milwaukee?’
Damian Lillard
