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Damian Lillard is suddenly a free agent for the first time after the Milwaukee Bucks decided to waive and stretch his contract in order to make room for signing Myles Turner. A number of suitors have already reached out to Lillard's camp about a deal even though he's rehabbing from a torn Achilles, with The Athletic's latest report from Eric Nehm, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon naming the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers “among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal sooner rather than later.”
The Warriors had previously been linked to Lillard by Andscape's Marc J. Spears. The Miami Heat and Lillard's former team, the Portland Trail Blazers, have also been named as suitors for the veteran point guard.
However, Lillard is expected to take his time when it comes to picking his new team. Given he's rehabbing a serious injury and won't play in the 2025-26 season, there's no reason for him to rush into anything. ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Jamal Collier report the 35-year-old isn't even expected to sign with a new team at all for the 2025-26 season, instead opting to rehab in Portland before making a decision down the road.
Via ESPN: “Though Lillard is a free agent now, there aren't many reasons for any team to rush to sign him now — or for him to seek a deal now. Yes, any team could sign him now, but they would have only his non-Bird rights, meaning they could give him only a small raise without using salary cap space or a salary cap exception next summer. And unlike in other sports where teams have more flexibility over how to structure contracts, under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, year-over-year raises are extremely limited in multiyear contracts, preventing a team from offering Lillard a minimum this season then giving him a balloon payment for the 2026-27 season once he's healthy.”
Lillard is reportedly “elated” with this turn of events and will collect all of the nearly $113 million he's owed, no matter when he makes his decision. There's a salary offset that will apply once he does sign, but it makes sense to wait and see what the landscape looks like next summer when he's ready to return to action.
So while suitors may want to get him in their building right away as he rehabs, Damian Lillard can take his sweet time and make a decision whenever he wants.
