Damian Lillard will be returning to the team that drafted him — the Trail Blazers.
Lillard is signing a three-year, $42 million contract with Portland, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The move comes a few weeks after the Bucks made the shocking decision to release the guard, despite Milwaukee still owing him $113 million.
Portland used the No. 6 pick on the guard in the 2012 NBA Draft. Lillard has spent the vast majority of his professional career with the Trail Blazers, except for the last two seasons, when he was with the Bucks. He is expected to miss the entire first year of the deal due to his recovery from a torn Achilles that ended his 2024-2025 campaign.
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Here is more on Lillard deciding to return home to Portland.
Damian Lillard contract details
Lillard is returning to Portland on a three-year deal worth $42 million.
He will still be getting paid out by Milwaukee, which, due to the timing of the release, will be able to extend Lillard’s $113 million owed over the next five seasons. Between both franchises, the guard is set to make $70 million in 2025-2026, per Charania.
Lillard will then have a remaining total salary of $141 million over the next two seasons, before he can opt out ahead of the 2028 NBA season.
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Why did Damian Lillard sign with the Trail Blazers?
Ahead of the 2023 season, Lillard was traded to the Bucks in a three-team deal. Now, only a few years later, they decided to go in a different direction and released him, despite over $100 million remaining on his contract.
Lillard moved to Milwaukee with the Bucks, but it appears that his family and kids stayed in Portland. He had already returned to the area this offseason, rehabbing his injury at home. Lillard gets a nice contract back home, and the Trail Blazers are rolling the dice that he will return with something left in the tank, so that he can be a serviceable member of the team at 36 years old.
Damian Lillard Achilles recovery timeline
Lillard was confirmed to have torn his left Achilles tendon by the Bucks on April 28. He suffered the non-contact injury in the first quarter of Milwaukee’s Game 4 loss to Indiana.
Dame leaves the game with an apparent injury
Hope he’s okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ak4Ia59nL9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2025
Lillard was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason, and the confirmation of the Achilles tendon tear put his 2025-2026 availability in question. He is 35 years old, and Achilles injuries are typically considered year-long recoveries. Lillard could try to rush back, but that would increase the risk of re-injury, which he would want to avoid. In recent years, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both suffered torn Achilles tendons, and each missed a year; both were younger than Lillard.
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Damian Lillard career stats
Here is a look at Lillard’s career per-game stats. He was with Portland for all but the two most recent seasons.
| Year | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| 2012-13 | 82 | 38.6 | 19.0 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 42.9% | 36.8% | 84.4% |
| 2013-14 | 82 | 35.8 | 20.7 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 42.4% | 39.4% | 87.1% |
| 2014-15 | 82 | 35.7 | 21.0 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 43.4% | 34.3% | 86.4% |
| 2015-16 | 75 | 35.7 | 25.1 | 4.0 | 6.8 | 41.9% | 37.5% | 89.2% |
| 2016-17 | 75 | 35.9 | 27.0 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 44.4% | 37.0% | 89.5% |
| 2017-18 | 73 | 36.6 | 26.9 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 43.9% | 36.1% | 91.6% |
| 2018-19 | 80 | 35.5 | 25.8 | 4.6 | 6.9 | 44.4% | 36.9% | 91.2% |
| 2019-20 | 66 | 37.5 | 30.0 | 4.3 | 8.0 | 46.3% | 40.1% | 88.8% |
| 2020-21 | 67 | 35.8 | 28.8 | 4.2 | 7.5 | 45.1% | 39.1% | 92.8% |
| 2021-22 | 29 | 36.4 | 24.0 | 4.1 | 7.3 | 40.2% | 32.4% | 87.8% |
| 2022-23 | 58 | 36.3 | 32.2 | 4.8 | 7.3 | 46.3% | 37.1% | 91.4% |
| 2023-24 | 73 | 35.3 | 24.3 | 4.4 | 7.0 | 42.4% | 35.4% | 92.0% |
| 2024-25 | 58 | 36.1 | 24.9 | 4.7 | 7.1 | 44.8% | 37.6% | 92.1% |
| Totals | 900 | 36.2 | 25.1 | 4.3 | 6.7 | 43.9% | 37.1% | 89.9% |
