Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers are still together despite plenty of trade rumors over the years. Lillard has been one of the most discussed players in hypothetical trades over the past 4-5 seasons. And many expected the Blazers to finally cut the cord with him after trading CJ McCollum during the 2021-2022 campaign. However, it appears as if they are going to do the opposite with Lillard. According to Bleacher Report, the Trail Blazers are expected to offer Damian Lillard a two-year contract extension that will be worth over $100 million dollars.
Lillard played in just 29 games during the 2021-2022 season. The Trail Blazers star missed the remainder of the campaign due to injury. But the 31-year old displayed continued stardom during his limited time on the court. Dame averaged 24 points with 7 assists and 4 rebounds per game. The Blazers are planning on building around him with hopes he stays healthy moving forward.
Portland landed Jerami Grant before the NBA Draft. Additionally, the team is expected to re-sign Jusuf Nurkic and/or Anfernee Simons. Reports state that the Blazers intend on bringing back both Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic which would be a major boost to the team without question.
A core of Lillard, Nurkic, Simons, and Grant is solid. But the Trail Blazers would likely still be a star away from becoming a true contender. They seem to be going all in on these re-tooling efforts, so they could realistically be players in 2022 NBA Free Agency.
Regardless of what happens, Blazers fans are destined to be pleased with their approach. This team was on the precipice of a full-on rebuild after a difficult 2021-2022 season. Instead, Damian Lillard is expected to return and is ready to lead Portland back to the playoffs.
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