After days of speculation regarding Damian Lillard‘s future in the NBA, the veteran point guard has decided to join forces with the Portland Trail Blazers. Having spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, the 35-year-old Lillard will now return to the team that initially drafted him into the premier basketball league back in 2012.
Damian Lillard reacts to re-joining the Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard had reached an agreement with the Trail Blazers to rejoin the NBA side on a three-year contract, worth $42 million. The nine-time NBA All-Star nominee’s deal with Portland comes with a player option for the 2027-28 season, along with a no-trade clause. This makes Lillard the only player in the NBA, aside from the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, to have a no-trade clause in his player agreement.
Lillard took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to his NBA reunion with the Trail Blazers by sharing a video of the team’s dressing room. The clip featured the locker room spots of several Portland players, including Jerami Grant, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, and Deni Avdija, among others, with Lillard’s space popping right at the end. The snippet ended with the text, “Together again,” flashing on the screen. The seasoned sportsman also added a reference to one of the oldest nicknames for the Trail Blazers in the caption, writing, “RipCityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!”
Damian Lillard’s move to Portland comes after his two-year stint with Milwaukee came to an end earlier this month, with the Bucks waiving the NBA icon to sign free agent center Myles Turner. Despite his return to the Moda Center, Trail Blazers fans will have to wait to see Lillard in action as the player is currently sidelined due to an Achilles injury he sustained in the fourth game of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
