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Damian Lillard Returns to Trail Blazers on Three-Year, $42 Million Deal

He will sit out the 2025-26 season rehabbing his Achilles under Portland’s medical staff in a new role as the team’s highest-paid assistant coach.

Apr 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) during game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn
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Overview

  • Lillard’s three-year, $42 million contract with Portland locks in a no-trade clause and grants him a player option after the second season.
  • He is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign while recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in April’s first-round playoff series.
  • Coach Chauncey Billups announced Lillard will serve as a player-assistant coach, making him the highest-paid assistant in league history to mentor the Blazers’ young core.
  • Lillard said family stability and familiar surroundings drove his decision to return, despite interest from more than a dozen other teams including Boston and Minnesota.
  • The opt-out provision after two seasons provides Lillard with flexibility to resume his on-court career once fully recovered ahead of the 2026-27 season.