PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard didn’t want to give anyone false hope, so it was not until the 35-year-old, nine-time NBA All-Star inked his new three-year, $45 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers that he explained to his children he was coming home.
“We got back in the car (after signing the contract),” Lillard said, “I got to a red light, and my daughter goes, ‘Wait, we don’t have to get on the airplane to Milwaukee no more? You’re gonna be in your house? In Portland? The whole time?’”
Yes, he is. And he, and his family, couldn’t be happier.
Monday marked the return of Portland’s favorite son, as Lillard met with the media to discuss an earlier-than-anticipated homecoming. Last week, the nine-time All-Star announced he was returning to the Rose City two years after requesting a trade that took him 2,000 miles from the only NBA home he’d ever known.
Lillard, the sixth pick of the 2012 draft who had long promised to stay loyal to Portland and not leave to chase a championship in a bigger market, ultimately landed in Milwaukee. His departure devastated the city.
But two years and one torn Achilles’ tendon later, Lillard sat alongside Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and general manager Joe Cronin to discuss his decision to return.
“It never felt right, not being home,” Lillard said, as a screen with the words “THESE ROOTS RUN DEEP” shone to his right. “When I have to make a decision, a lot of thought goes into it. This decision wasn’t hard at all.”
For all the fanfare around Lillard’s return, there’s also the stark reality that he will likely miss next season while rehabbing his Achilles. That injury prompted the Milwaukee Bucks to waive Lillard, a stunning move that NBA insiders later clarified actually gave him leverage, allowing him to sign wherever he wanted.
It turned out that place was back home, close to his three children — Dame Jr., 7, and 4-year-old twins Kali and Kalii. Lillard has spoken candidly over the last few years about the challenges of being 2,000 miles away from his children. (His ex-wife has majority parenting time.)
Yet, Lillard stressed Monday that this was as much a basketball decision as a family one. He has watched Portland the last two years, often wondering “how do I fit in?” He is convinced the Blazers are poised to compete for deep playoff runs with a young core that includes guards Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
And he’s excited to help them develop.
Lillard said he missed mentoring young players the last couple of years while playing for the Bucks, an established, championship franchise with a veteran roster. He wants to “pour into” the Blazers’ youth, which Billups supports.
“He’s gonna be the highest-paid assistant coach in league history,” Billups joked, “because I’m gonna be putting him to work every day.”
“I wanna see Scoot and Shaedon take a step this year,” Billups added, making it clear that while it’s his job as a coach to oversee their development, “it’s different when you’re getting mentorship and tutelage from a guy who wears the jersey.”
Chauncey Billups said that he wants to see Scoot Henderson (00) and Shaedon Sharpe (17) take a step forward next season, and he expects Damian Lillard to help them do so. (Soobum Im / Imagn Images)
As for how Lillard fits with this roster, that remains to be seen. Asked if there’s any chance he plays this upcoming season, Cronin stressed that the team would do what’s best for Lillard, which likely means waiting until 2026-27.
As Cronin spoke, Lillard flashed a knowing grin, admitting that the “prideful” part of him wants to return as soon as possible. But with age comes wisdom, he said, and he knows it is likely to be a long rehab process.
He’s not lowering expectations for himself when he returns, though. Lillard said as soon as he tore his Achilles, his first thought was not to pity himself or cry about how brutal rehab would be. He simply vowed to come back as strong as before.
When he left two years ago, there was the perception that Lillard was on bad terms with the Blazers, particularly Cronin. But on Monday, Lillard said that wasn’t true at all.
“Toward the end, I think it was a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication,” Lillard said, acknowledging that when trades happen, “people are hurt.”
“Joe and I never sat down and talked about that, so it just kinda sat out there, and I think that was a mistake,” Lillard said. “Me and Joe had a great relationship the entire time before he was GM and while he was GM.”
The last time he was in Portland with the Bucks, Lillard said, he made a point to go over and say hello to Cronin and Jody Allen, chair of the Blazers.
When he and Cronin finally sat, Lillard said, the conversation was brief, with no hard feelings. Lillard and Cronin were focused on the same thing: figuring out how to get the beloved star home.
When news broke, Cronin said he got a text from a former Trail Blazer who told him, “everything is right in the NBA again.”
Lillard agrees. And so do his three young children.
(Photo: Amanda Loman / Getty Images)