After getting waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard took his time to consider which team he would join as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. Although he received plenty of offers from a lot of teams in the league, he eventually agreed to return to the Portland Trail Blazers. According to reports, Lillard agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal to return to the organization that drafted him.
Part of his deal with the Blazers is a no-trade clause. In the two years that the organization didn’t have Lillard, they didn’t have a path. The player they had in return for the Lillard trade, Deandre Ayton, did not pan out well. Eventually, Ayton agreed to a contract buyout this summer to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.
Fortunately for the Blazers, they acquired their former franchise star back after the Bucks waived him to make room for center Myles Turner.
Now that he’s back, there’s a question of what the Portland Trail Blazers will get out of his first year. He’ll miss the entire 2025-26 season as he rehabs from the season-ending injury he sustained from the first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
Former Phoenix Suns executive Amin Elhassan recently explained what the Blazers will get out of Lillard’s first year.
“You know what the problem is with Damian Lillard with any one of those places, is that for a year, you’re paying him to rehab and that’s it,” Lillard said. “The one place where that’s not the case is Portland. You’re paying him to rehab, but you’re also paying him to teach these children to be a vet.
“This is perhaps the only situation in the league that can say ‘We need Damian Lillard, right now, this year.’”@DarthAmin tells @TheJaxShow why Lillard returning to Portland is the perfect fit. pic.twitter.com/7Koie8zUYm
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 20, 2025
“He’s an A-1 locker room leader, veteran, good influence. And if you’re Portland, if you have this young locker room, if you have designs on taking this leap this year, he can help you right now. This is perhaps the only situation in the league that can say ‘We need Damian Lillard, right now, this year’.”
Dwyane Wade applauded the Portland Trail Blazers for signing Lillard back
After it was confirmed that Damian Lillard would return to the Portland Trail Blazers, the NBA community rejoiced. One of the players who celebrated Lillard’s homecoming was former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade. The three-time champion acknowledged the move to sign the nine-time All-Star on X.
“Dame Dolla back where he should be! @trailblazers got it right 👏🏾,” Wade posted.
Dame Dolla back where he should be! @trailblazers got it right 👏🏾
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 17, 2025
Similar to Lillard, Wade also had the same career move. In 2016, the former Heat star left the team that drafted him to join the Chicago Bulls. The following year, he reunited with LeBron James and joined the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, he was traded to the Heat in the middle of the 2017-18 season.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
