The Portland Trail Blazers are close to signing Damian Lillard to a five-year max extension.
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The Portland Trail Blazers are in serious danger of losing LaMarcus Aldridge in NBA free agency this summer. With Aldridge having meetings all around the league and it looking increasingly likely that he won’t return, the Trail Blazers are looking to gain some kind of security. That sure-footedness seems to be coming in the form of point guard Damian Lillard.
According to a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein, Lillard and the Blazers are on the verge of agreeing to a five-year max extension that will pay the point guard quite handily.
ESPN sources say Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard are nearing agreement on a five-year max extension with in excess of $120 million
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2015
That’s not Anthony Davis money per se, but not many people in their mid-20s would scoff at an average of $24 million per year. Moreover, it’s a strong statement from Portland given the uncertainty resulting from the Aldridge situation.
Lillard regressed a bit during his third season in the league, most glaringly in terms of his efficiency from long-range, as his three-point percentage dropped to 34.3 percent (down from 39.4 percent). Possibly more important is Lillard’s lack of progression on the defensive end of the floor, where he’s still a liability at times.
Even with a slight regression and his defense, though, the Trail Blazers had to lock Lillard up. He has the makings of being a star, and is still young enough to tighten the screws on his game.
Perhaps the biggest impact of extending Lillard is ensuring Portland fans, as well as players around the league, that the front office isn’t going to tear things completely apart. It will instead build around Lillard should Aldridge leave. It’ll be curious to see where else they go in free agency after extending Lillard and agreeing to terms with Al-Farouq Aminu, but Portland’s intentions are becoming much clearer in the wake of the Aldridge saga: circle the around its talented young core.