Lillard to sign back with Portland

[Hey Yo]

BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42 million contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell ESPN. Deal is expected to include a player option in 2027-28 and a no-trade clause. A storybook reunion home for the 35-year-old.

[ArbitraryWater]

I dont know about storybook but sure what the hell

[HylianNightmare]

Dogshit

[Full Court]

Game changer.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Basically 21 mil per plus ultimate control over where his career goes from here. If he comes back at a high level he can engineer joining a contender and if he's pedestrian he still gets paid. Not that good a deal for Portland but I guess they are feeling sentimental. Or that's what it took to get him to pick them over Boston and whoever else.

[coin24]

Career loser. Fitting.

Probably the worst place he could have gone

[beasted]

So... what was his reason for leaving in the first place again? That they're rebuilding, that they have no legit #2, that he can't win a championship there? That they committed their highest pick in years to a PG that can only play PG.

So are we supposed to pretend that literally all of those aren't still true?

Let's call this what it is: A money grab. Literally no other team was going to pay him more than the tax payer MLE, if not the minimum.

Absolute career loser on the basketball court.

[beasted]

So in 2026-27 when he's back, what exactly are they supposed to be doing with a 36 year old PG on the decline making serious money (Jrue), a 36 yr old PG coming off a major injury likely still believing he's a starter (Dame), and a young PG going into the final year of his rookie scale contract expecting a major payday and minutes (Scoot)?

I said this about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I'll say it again: Portland is hands down the worst franchise in the league.

[iamgine]

From Portland's side, I think they need a leader and Dame is an extremely standup guy by NBA standard with a lot of ties in Portland. Having someone like that could be good for the team's development. Plus he could be a trade asset down the line.

[warriorfan]

So in 2026-27 when he's back, what exactly are they supposed to be doing with a 36 year old PG on the decline making serious money (Jrue), a 36 yr old PG coming off a major injury likely still believing he's a starter (Dame), and a young PG going into the final year of his rookie scale contract expecting a major payday and minutes (Scoot)?

I said this about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I'll say it again: Portland is hands down the worst franchise in the league.

They both are gonna mentor Scoot

[ImKobe]

So in 2026-27 when he's back, what exactly are they supposed to be doing with a 36 year old PG on the decline making serious money (Jrue), a 36 yr old PG coming off a major injury likely still believing he's a starter (Dame), and a young PG going into the final year of his rookie scale contract expecting a major payday and minutes (Scoot)?

I said this about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I'll say it again: Portland is hands down the worst franchise in the league.

Dame's just there to mentor the young guys while he rehabs. Portland is in the rebuild they're not going to be contending for anything next year, at best they make the POs.

[fsvr54]

Basically 21 mil per plus ultimate control over where his career goes from here. If he comes back at a high level he can engineer joining a contender and if he's pedestrian he still gets paid. Not that good a deal for Portland but I guess they are feeling sentimental. Or that's what it took to get him to pick them over Boston and whoever else.

He's 35 and just tore his achilles...."High level"? Not happening, apart from being the most overrated guard of his generation. He was never a high-level player.

[Real Men Wear Green]

He's 35 and just tore his achilles...."High level"? Not happening, apart from being the most overrated guard of his generation. He was never a high-level player.

Nigue tore his Achilles at 32 and still managed 29.9 at 33. Kevin Durant is still an elite scorer at 36 after tearing his at 30. Conversely Kobe may as well have retired. We have seen players both come back strong as well as look terrible so I'm not going to say for sure which way it will go for Lillaird.

As for your opinion on his career I'm not trying to argue it one way or the other. At his peak he was a big scoring guard that wasn't good for much defense. Guys like that can make you win as well as lose. But for the sake of discussing his comeback if he can be a 20+ ppg guy again on respectable efficiency I would call it successful as that is likely what kind of player he would have been at 36 if he had never been hurt.