It's home sweet home for Damian Lillard as he is set to return to the Portland Trail Blazers.
ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news on Thursday, sending Rip City to a state of pure joy. As expected, Lillard quickly found a team after the Milwaukee Bucks unceremoniously waived him amid his Achilles injury.
Not many, however, predicted that he would return to Portland, where he had played from 2012 to 2023. The Trail Blazers selected him as the sixth overall pick and swiftly became the face of the franchise, leading it to multiple postseason runs, including the Western Conference finals in 2019.
The 35-year-old Lillard took to Instagram to share his reunion with the Trail Blazers, posting a video of his iconic No. 0 jersey in the locker room.
His former teammate, Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum, had the perfect reaction to the post: Three heart emojis.
Lillard and McCollum were longtime backcourt mates on the Trail Blazers and developed a close relationship. They formed one of the more prolific tandems in the NBA with their explosive scoring. The dynamic duo was broken up when Portland traded McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Former NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, and Eddy Curry also reacted to Lillard's post, expressing their support.
“How it should be!” wrote Wade.
According to the Associated Press, citing an anonymous source, Lillard agreed to a three-year contract worth $42 million to return to Portland.
The nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team member tore his Achilles in the Bucks' first-round series against the Indiana Pacers in the last playoffs. He is set to miss the entire 2025-26 season after undergoing surgery.
The Bucks waived him earlier this month, stretching the remaining $113 million on his deal over five years. It allowed the squad to sign former Pacers center Myles Turner.
Before signing with the Trail Blazers, Lillard was linked to the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, among other teams.
