Blazers' Rebuild is Directly Impacted by Unfortunate Damian Lillard Injury

The Portland Trail Blazers are in the middle of a crucial offseason following an impressive 2024-25 NBA season. While the team didn't make the playoffs, they did show a lot of improvement on the court, giving some hope for the future.

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Portland has been watching the postseason from home, and they have to be feeling some sort of way about what has gone down. Former Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard suffered a torn Achilles over the weekend, ending his run with the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs.

Lillard was loved in Portland, so this is certainly a very tough moment for all Trail Blazers fans. But the injury to Lillard directly impacts the Trail Blazers, even two years after his departure from the team.

Milwaukee still owes Portland three first-round draft picks, the 2029 first and two swaps in 2028/2030. While Lillard is expected to make a full recovery next season, he may never be the same.

Torn Achilles are no joke, and over time we have seen plenty of players not return to their pre-injury status. With the status of Lillard now up in the air, the Bucks will have a lot of big decisions to make.

Portland can directly benefit from this unfortunate injury, even if it hurt the fans to see Lillard go down. If Milwaukee nosedives in the standings without Lillard moving forward, the team could look to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, further enhacing the Trail Blazers potential benefit.

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It seems to be a very grim time in Milwaukee right now, but the Trail Blazers aren't going to complain. The hope is that Lillard will make a full recovery, but things seem to be a little tricky right now.

With the Trail Blazers getting closer to playoff contention, the team could have some possible lottery ticket picks at the end of the decade. Portland will move forward itself and let everything play out, but the injury to Lillard does raise some questions about where the Bucks will go from here.

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For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.