Dame Time Is Back: In A Surprise Twist, Franchise Legend Damian Lillard Has Decided To Return To The Blazers

Kevork Djansezian. Getty Images.

At this stage of the offseason, there aren't too many big name players that still have their future up in the air. We haven't heard what Al Horford is going to do, there are some restricted free agents like Cam Thomas, Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey and Quentin Grimes who are still waiting for their deals, but those aren't exactly the "big name" players I'm talking about.

Damian Lillard? He was probably the biggest domino left to fall, even with him being out for the season with his achilles injury. Given his buyout with the Bucks he was free to join the team of his choosing, and there are a handful of teams in both conferences where it makes sense to take a low risk swing on a player who's talent could outproduce his new price. So where would he go? Miami? Boston? Golden State?

None of them. 

Instead, Damian Lillard is heading home

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Is it weird to say this is both surprising and not surprising all at the same time? Surprising in a sense that Dame certainly had options available to him that might get him closer to contending for a title as he rounds of his career, but not surprising when you remember all the reporting that part of his beef with the Bucks was that they weren't thrilled about his desire to rehab closer to his family. 

It's even less surprising when you see the price. I think most people assumed givent he fact that he was being paid by the Bucks that Dame would be down to settle for the minimum or close to it. Maybe the taxpayer MLE ($5M) if it meant he'd be on a contender. But a 3/$42M deal to return to his old stomping grounds? You don't turn that down at this stage of his career.

And while I'm sure there may be some Blazers fans who felt a certain way when Dame initially demanded his trade a few years ago after years and years talking about how he'd never leave the Blazers and he wouldn't ring chase, by now that should be water under the bridge. Think of it more like a "loan" like we see in soccer.

Not bad work by Joe Cronin if we're being honest. It also bones the Heat again from maybe getting Dame, which you know deep down he has to love. All in all, the Blazers came out of the Dame trade just fine, and now they still have Dame. Meanwhile, the Heat are still stuck in NBA purgatory, that's tough.

In the end, Dame played just 131 NBA games as a non-Blazer, and you have to imagine given his health situation, age, and this new deal, that this will be his final stop, and you know what? I think it's for the best. He's a franchise legend, the team got better as a result of his trade demand, and now he gets to come back and ride off into the sunset as a Blazer. That's pretty cool.

Now, for my own personal rooting interest? This bums me out mostly because all Celtics fans kept hearing was how Boston was at the top of Dame's list and that Tatum was recruiting him etc. Whoops! Given their salary cap situation, their only shot at Dame was if he was going to come on the minimum, and obviously 3/$42M is far too rich for their blood. They aren't shedding a ton of money just to be able to bring Dame in on that price. Good on him for getting it, and really, there's nothing wrong with Dame preferring more cash while also being closer to his family, so while it's a bummer, it is what it is. It would have been fun to see Dame on this roster come 2026-27 when Tatum would be back, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

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I think what this tells us is that Dame came to the realization that a ring probably isn't in his future, so he may as well go home. It's pretty clear he learned the valuable lesson that the grass isn't always greener. Part of me feels like after his MIL experience, he probably wished he had never demanded a trade. That's the risk you take when you pull that sort of move, and then you leave, everything goes to shit, and you immediately regret your decision. Would it have been different had the Blazers sent him to MIA? Probably not if we're being honest.

As an NBA fan, it always felt weird to see Dame in another jersey. He's one of those guys who you always felt like would be a 1 team player for his entire career, and while technically he won't be, we can just pretend the Bucks stint didn't happen. To my brain, Dame is a Blazer and will always be a Blazer so at least now it's back to being official.

It's a little odd that the Blazers would choose to invest so much money in two aging point guards, but they can always try and flip Jrue Holiday down the road if they want, and seeing as how Dame is out for the year, it's not like it messes anything up for the 2025-26 season so what's the harm really? The PR boost alone is probably worth it.