‘Never felt…’ Damian Lillard hints at frustration with entire Milwaukee Bucks tenure after Trail Blazers return

Damian Lillard claims Milwaukee Bucks tenure ‘never felt right’

Damian Lillard spoke at his official return press conference in Portland. When talking about the decision to come back, he thanked Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups.

Lillard admitted that being away from Portland never felt right, hinting at some level of discomfort during his time with the Milwaukee Bucks. In the end, Lillard is happy to be back where his NBA journey started.

“I want to thank Joe (Cronin) and Chauncey (Billups) because, for this to be possible, we all had to be on the same page about it.

“Like they both said, it never felt right not being home. Through it all, I found my way back. Like I said, just fortunate to be back with the group I was with prior to leaving. To be a part of a great situation at home.

“I’m just excited, thankful, and appreciative of the door being open for me to come back, even with me being hurt.”

Chauncey Billups claims Portland Trail Blazers didn’t want Dame Time to end

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups also spoke at the press conference. Looking back at his exit, he admitted the Trail Blazers didn’t want to let Lillard go. Now that he’s back, despite his injury, Lillard will help Billups a lot.

“I think if we’re all being honest, we obviously never wanted to see him go, and even when he did, we all wanted to see him back.

“I told him that this year he’s going to be the highest-paid assistant coach in league history.”

The Trail Blazers are really lucky they were able to bring back Lillard. Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin should thank Deandre Ayton for giving up $10 million in his buyout to create the non-taxpayer MLE they used to sign Lillard.

While he won’t feature for the Trail Blazers this season, expect Dame to play a mentorship role for several young stars on the team.

The likes of Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Yang Hansen have shown a lot of promise, and Lillard, a multiple-time All-Star, can help them achieve their potential with poignant advice.