One of the stories of the offseason has been the reunion of players with their former teams. Chris Paul was the latest to return to a team he spent multiple years with, the Clippers, but Damian Lillard was the most shocking but most pleasing.
Welcome home, Chris Paul ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hvE5n8nmBY
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 21, 2025
Lillard spent 11 seasons in Portland with the Trail Blazers before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks to win a championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The era of Giannis and Lillard never materialized, with the team experiencing two straight first-round exits in the playoffs, culminating in Lillard tearing his Achilles in the 2025 first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
In a stunning turn of events, the Bucks signed Myles Turner and waived and stretched Damian Lillard, who is sure to miss the entirety of the 2025-2026 season.
With multiple teams on the table for Lillard to sign with, he chose to go back home and join the Trail Blazers again, on a three-year, $42 million deal with a player option for the 2027-2028 season.
Damian Lillard on telling his kids he’s coming back to Portland:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 22, 2025
“My daughter was looking at me and I told her… she was like ‘wait, we don’t have to get on the airplane to Milwaukee anymore!?’” pic.twitter.com/Xms7NyKK3J
In a heartwarming moment for Portland and the NBA, Lillard will now play a mentor role for a Trail Blazers team that is building a young core, and looking to return to playoff competition.
Warriors star Draymond Green took to his Instagram story to comment on Lillard's return to Portland.
He said, "The backdrop just look right !"
Green played against Lillard throughout their years in the NBA, especially as Western Conference rivals, but did square off in the 2019 Western Conference Finals, where the Warriors swept the Trail Blazers in a closely contested series.
Green averaged 16.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in the series, while Lillard averaged 22.3 points, 8.5 assists, and shot only 37.1 percent from the field in that same series.
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