Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers made headlines on Saturday night after they were linked to a potential swoop on Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant. All this started when Dame posted a photoshopped image of KD in a Blazers jersey, and naturally, it led to NBA fans drawing up all sorts of Durant-to-Portland scenarios.

Amid all the brouhaha, however, the Blazers have reportedly made a major decision on the future of Josh Hart with the team. According to Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian, Portland has opted to fully guarantee Hart's deal for the upcoming season:

Source: Blazers fully guarantee Josh Hart’s contract that will pay him $12.9 million next season. Deadline was today. There is a mutual option for the following season.

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Hart arrived in Portland in the middle of the 2021-22 season following a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. The 27-year-old played just 13 games for the Blazers last term, but he put up some impressive numbers during this brief span: a career-best 19.9 points on 50.3 percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists (also a career-high), and 1.2 steals, while also connecting on 2.4 triples per game on a 37.3-percent clip.

The sample size is undeniably small, but it's probably safe to say that Hart fits quite well in coach Chauncey Billups' system. As the above report states, this wasn't a very hard decision to make for the Blazers.