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NBA World Reacts to Damian Lillard's Out-of-Nowhere Decision to Return to Trail Blazers

Lillard tore his Achilles during the playoffs this season.

Liam McKeone

Damian Lillard spent the first 11 years of his career in Portland.
Damian Lillard spent the first 11 years of his career in Portland. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
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Damian Lillard is returning to Portland.

On Thursday the sudden news broke that Lillard, currently a free agent as he recovers from an Achilles tear during the Milwaukee Bucks' postseason run, would be signing with the Trail Blazers on a three-year deal worth $42 million, as reported by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. The final year of the contract includes a player option and a no-trade clause.

It's a totally out-of-nowhere development on numerous levels. Nobody expected Lillard to sign for much more than the veteran minimum since he's unlikely to see the floor until the 2026–27 season; the Blazers offered him $14 million a year. In addition, the widely-held belief was that Lillard would look for his best opportunity to win a championship after failing to do so in Portland and Milwaukee. The Blazers, coming off another lottery finish, are long shots in that department. Above all it was surprising to see Lillard make a decision so quickly given there's almost no chance he can play next season.

And yet, despite all that context, a homecoming is happening. Lillard returns to the Trail Blazers, where he starred for 11 seasons and earned the Dame Time moniker with clutch heroics year after year in Portland before getting traded to the Bucks in 2023. The NBA world was left reeling by the shocking turn of events and reacted accordingly.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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