Dame time is back in Rip City as Damian Lillard is returning to the Portland Trail Blazers after agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal. The nine-time NBA All-Star gave Trail Blazers fans several memorable moments in his 11 seasons with Portland before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023.
Lillard returns to the Trail Blazers after being in Milwaukee for two seasons. He was released by the Bucks earlier this month. Blazers fans will, unfortunately, have to wait for Lillard to make his return debut until the 2026-27 NBA season. Lillard tore his Achilles in the first round of the NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers this season. Lillard is expected to be out for all of next season.
How will Dame do in his second tenure in Portland?
While it's still unclear if Lillard will experience the same success in Portland that he did the first time around, there's no question that it'll give Blazers fans something exciting to watch as they continue their rebuilding efforts. Portland finished with a 36-46 record last season and was three games out of a play-in game spot in the Western Conference.
Lillard returning to the Blazers with Jrue Holiday stings for Milwaukee
Lillard isn't the only former Bucks player who will be in Portland. Former Bucks guard Jrue Holiday will also be on the Trail Blazers after being traded by the Boston Celtics.
Not only will they be on the same team together, but back in 2023, Holiday was traded to the Trail Blazers for Lillard, before being traded to Boston. Now the Bucks have lost both players to the same team. Portland also has the 2029 Bucks first-round pick and two Milwaukee pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.
It couldn't come at a worse time for the Bucks franchise as the future of star Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee is uncertain, with many believing he's leaving. Recent rumors seem to suggest that Giannis was "not pleased" with the Bucks' decision to release Lillard.
While the addition of Myles Turner this offseason was good, the Bucks' offseason will blow up if Giannis leaves. Milwaukee also has no depth in their backcourt, which will make it very difficult for the Bucks to compete in the East next season, even if Giannis stays. The Bucks' current projected starting backcourt features Kevin Porter Jr and Gary Trent Jr.
Despite Portland's rebuilding process, Lillard returns to a much better situation than he was in Milwaukee. The Trail Blazers have young, promising talent, including Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija are also impactful starters for the Trail Blazers.