Damian Lillard returns to Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for another huge sum
Despite having secured the contract that the Oregón team already signed for him after being waived by the Bucks, he will earn much more than the minimum.
Damian Lillard will return to wearing the Portland Trail Blazers jersey after agreeing to a three-year contract worth $42 million, sources informed ESPN. The deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 season and a no-trade clause, a rarity in the NBA.
With this new contract, Lillard joins LeBron James as the only players in the league currently holding a full no-trade clause. Bradley Beal had a similar clause before reaching a buyout agreement with the Phoenix Suns earlier this week.
The decision for Lillard and the franchise to reunite had been developing in recent weeks. According to sources, there were several meetings between the point guard, general manager Joe Cronin, and coach Chauncey Billups, with the aim of rebuilding the relationship and sealing the return of the idol to Portland.
Lillard, 35, was waived at the beginning of the month by the Milwaukee Bucks, who chose to allocate the remaining $113 million of his contract to free up salary space and sign free agent center Myles Turner.
With this new deal, Lillard secures a combined salary of $70 million for the 2025-26 season from what he will receive from the Bucks and the Trail Blazers. Additionally, he will accumulate $141 million in earnings over the next two years, before having the option to opt out of the contract in 2027.
Thus, the point guard returns to the team where he played the first 11 seasons of his career and where he established himself as one of the franchise's great icons.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Damian Lillard regresa a Portland Trail Blazers a cambio de otro pastizal
