Damian Lillard Returns Home: Signs with the Trail Blazers
The return of Damian Lillard to the Portland Trail Blazers was an emotional moment, sealed with the signing of a contract that brings him home, literally. After signing a three-year, $42 million deal, which includes a no-trade clause and an opt-out after two seasons, Lillard was deeply moved to return to Portland with his children. The player, known for his iconic “Dame Time”, shared his feelings about the return: “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. All those things matter. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.” Lillard made his first public statements about the deal in a press conference on Monday night, accompanied by Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and general manager Joe Cronin. Before this return, Lillard played his first eleven NBA seasons with Portland, before being traded, at his request, to the Milwaukee Bucks before the start of the 2023-24 season. The point guard, a nine-time All-Star, is a beloved figure in Portland. However, his return to the court at the Moda Center will have to wait. Lillard suffered a rupture of the left Achilles tendon during the first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, requiring surgery that will likely keep him out of the 2025-26 season.Although Lillard did not rule out the possibility of returning this season, Cronin indicated that the team will wait “as long as necessary”. Lillard, who averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists last season, was selected for his ninth All-Star. He suffered a game limitation (58) due to deep vein thrombosis. In his last season in Portland, he averaged 32.2 points, becoming the seventh player in NBA history to score more than 70 points in a game, with 71 points against the Houston Rockets. During Lillard’s time in Portland, the team won only four playoff series, reaching the Western Conference Finals once. Lillard has always insisted that there are no hard feelings about his separation from the Blazers. He sought a championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, while Portland focused on developing young players like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Lillard, with a footwear contract with Adidas, hinted at an event at the company’s North American headquarters in 2024 that he might be willing to return to the Trail Blazers. He never imagined that an injury would accelerate the process. Selected at the number 6 spot in the 2012 draft by Portland, Lillard holds franchise records in points (19,376) and three-pointers (2,387). He had five games with 60 or more points with Portland. Throughout 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 recounted that his children finally understood the importance of his return home during the return trip on the weekend. “I arrived at a red light, I turned around and my daughter looked at me, and I said,” Lillard recounted. “And she said, ‘Wait, so we don’t have to get on a plane to go to Milwaukee anymore?'”“I told him that this year I was going to be the highest-paid assistant coach in the history of the league because I’m going to be working every day,” Billups commented.
Chauncey Billups
