Damian Lillard signed a three-year deal value $42 million to return to the Portland Path Blazers, an individual with information of the deal advised The Related Press on Thursday.
Lillard, 35, was the sixth choose within the 2012 NBA draft by the Path Blazers and spent 11 seasons with Portland earlier than he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks simply earlier than the 2023-24 season.
Nevertheless, Lillard might not be on courtroom in Portland straight away.
Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon throughout a first-round NBA playoff sequence in opposition to the Indiana Pacers and required surgical procedure, which means he may miss the whole 2025-26 season. The Bucks had waived him earlier this month and stretched the remaining $113 million on his contract over 5 years.
Lillard ranked tenth within the league in scoring (24.9) and assists (7.1) this season whereas incomes his ninth All-Star Recreation choice. However he performed solely 58 video games due to deep vein thrombosis.
Lillard confirmed the deal, posting a video to his Instagram of the Path Blazers’ locker room, ending with a body of a locker labeled together with his identify, adopted by the phrases “Collectively Once more.” He wrote ”RipCityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!”
Lillard averaged 32.2 factors his remaining season in Portland. He grew to become simply the seventh participant in NBA historical past to attain greater than 70 factors in a sport when he completed with 71 in opposition to the Houston Rockets that season.
However Portland received solely 4 playoff sequence throughout Lillard’s tenure, attending to the Western Convention finals as soon as.
Lillard was beloved in Portland and all the time insisted there aren’t any onerous emotions over his separation with the Blazers. He wished to try to chase a championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, whereas Portland was targeted on growing younger expertise, like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Lillard holds Portland data for factors (19,376) and 3-pointers (2,387). He’s the one Path Blazers participant to attain 70 or extra factors in a sport. He had 5 video games of 60 or extra factors with Portland.
For his profession, Lillard averaged 25.1 factors and 6.7 assists. He was the 2013 Rookie of the 12 months and was named to the NBA’s seventy fifth Anniversary group in 2021. He received a gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics.