Within minutes of Damian Lillard’s shocking release by the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, speculation about a landing spot began. The first names to come up were places he had expressed interest in previously — Portland and Miami — but not long after Golden State, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers emerged as teams with interest. This was expected to be a long, slow process, during which Lillard would spend time recovering from his torn Achilles and considering his options.
It didn’t take long — Lillard is returning to Portland on a three-year, $42 million contract.
That starts with him making $14 million from Portland this season — on top of the $54.1 million Milwaukee bought him out of. That’s $68 million in this season, which he will miss most — and most likely all — of recovering.
Let’s break down the winners and losers from this move — and it’s pretty much all winners.
WINNER: Trail Blazers fans/basketball fans
This is an emotionally satisfying result.
Lillard could have spent this season rehabbing, watching how the league played out, then signed where he thought he had the best chance to chase a ring. Or, he could have waited and started a bidding war next summer to see who would pay him the most money and chased the almighty dollar.
Instead, he chose to follow his heart — he didn’t wait and he chose the city he loves and that his family calls home, the franchise where he will go down as the greatest player in its history (all due respect to Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler). This is just good for sports.
It’s been a good summer for Blazers fans. The franchise is being sold, a long overdue move. Adam Silver stated in Las Vegas this week that the league prefers not to see the team relocate cities (a polite way of saying it’s not going anywhere), and the new owners will need to build a new arena. They drafted Yang Hansen, who may or may not pan out, but is infectious to watch.
And now Damian Lillard is coming home.
WINNER: Damian Lillard
When Damian Lillard was first traded to Milwaukee he was excited — he got to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo on a contender. This was an opportunity for him to cement his legacy with a ring.
Turns out, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Lillard learned that the hard way and struggled to adjust to life away from his family, which remained in Portland.
Milwaukee cutting Lillard lose means he had total control of whatever happened next: He could go where he wanted, when he wanted, and for as much money as he could get in the process. He got to set the priorities.
Portland was the priority. Lillard gets what he wants, and at essentially the mid-level exception, even for the year he is rehabbing. That’s a fair price.
WINNER: Portland’s Young Stars
Mentoring young players matters. As talented as someone entering the league might be, having a professional organization and veteran presence in the locker room that shows them how to be an NBA player matters.
Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe, Yang Hansen and the rest of the young Blazers now have Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday in the locker room — two high-level, consummate pros.
This is only good for Portland in the long run.
LOSERS: Teams that struck out on Lillard
These teams lost out, but it’s not fair to call them losers — they were never going to win this sweepstakes.
Still, the Miami Heat had flirted with Lillard going back to his trade out of Portland, he would have been a great fit next season. Boston reportedly showed interest, with Jayson Tatum handling the recruiting himself. It’s not hard to imagine Tatum’s pitch: “We know what it takes to get a ring, with your shooting and playmaking, when we reload in a year you can get your ring.”
The Warriors were reportedly interested, and a backcourt featuring Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard would be fearsome. The Lakers reportedly showed interest, and Lillard, as a shooter and secondary shot creator alongside Luka Doncic in a year, would have been an interesting addition (and Doncic and Lillard would have formed the most clutch team in league history).
All of those teams had good cases to make. But Portland… there’s no place like home.
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