When Will Damian Lillard Play for Blazers After Signing With Portland Following Torn Achilles?

In a move that no one saw coming, Damian Lillard has decided to return to the Portland Trail Blazers. He signed a three-year deal worth $42 million to return home.

After being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard was a free agent for the first time in his career. Instead of signing with a contender in the hopes of winning a title, he headed back to Portland.

Trail Blazers fans are certainly happy to have their star point guard back on the team, but when will they see him play for them again after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs?

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Lillard tore his Achilles in the first round against the Indiana Pacers, meaning the injury happened in late April. Lillard will not play at all in 2025-26 and will take his time rehabbing the injury, according to ESPN.

The Blazers are not a team that has a chance to win the title next year, but they believe they might have a chance to make the playoffs. They can use next year as a year to further develop the young players they have.

Developing those young players could allow them to make a big trade in order to surround Lillard with players who can give them a puncher's chance at a title in a couple of seasons.

Those young players could also develop into good players to surround Lillard with, depending on how things go. Regardless, fans will have to wait to see Lillard's return.

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Portland will lean on Jrue Holiday to help lead the young guys next season. The Trail Blazers are going to have to see what he has left next year to see if he's worth pairing with Lillard after that.

The Trail Blazers think they can make the playoffs next season even without Lillard in the fold. They had a ton of injuries this past season, and that put them in a giant hole to start the year.

This past season with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. He shot 44.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.