Damian Lillard has a new team after he was surprisingly waived by the Milwaukee Bucks at the start of NBA free agency. Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42 million deal to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Per Charania, Lillard, Portland GM Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups had multiple meetings in recent weeks en route to Lillard’s comeback.
Lillard heads back to Portland after an injury-riddled season, in which he played just 58 regular-season games due to hamstring, groin and calf injuries. When healthy, he performed like his usual self, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
Lillard didn’t miss significant time until the end of the regular season, when doctors discovered a blood clot in his right calf. As the NBA playoffs approached, however, Lillard surprisingly recovered, and returned to the team during its series against the Indiana Pacers.
His return lasted just two and a half games, as Lillard ruptured his left Achilles in Game 4 of the team’s series against the Pacers. Lillard was ruled out for the rest of the season, and the Bucks went on to lose the series in five games.
With Lillard facing months of recovery, the Bucks opted to waive the star guard when free agency started in July. Lillard is still owed $113 million, which the Bucks will be allowed to spread out over multiple seasons to lessen Lillard’s cap hit.
Following the move, a number of contending teams, including the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers reportedly reached out to Lillard’s camp looking to sign the veteran, per The Athletic.
The injury adds a fair amount of uncertainty to Lillard’s career moving forward. The 34-year-old has been among the league’s best shooters over his 13-year career. After winning the Rookie of the Year award during the 2012-13 season, Lillard went on to make nine All-Star teams, seven All-NBA teams and has five top-10 MVP finishes.
Despite his age, Lillard was still putting up solid numbers before his season was ruined by the blood clot and the Achilles injury.
With the move, the Trail Blazers are hoping Lillard can remain an effective scorer coming off the injury. While it’s unclear when Lillard will be able to return to action, you can bet he’ll be motivated to prove he still has plenty left in the tank, especially after his shocking release by the Bucks.
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