Lillard signed a three-year deal reportedly worth $42 million to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, the team announced Saturday. Lillard, 35, was the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Trail Blazers and spent 11 seasons with Portland before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks just before the 2023-24 season.

In a move that is therapeutic and helpful for both sides, Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers will reunite.

Lillard will miss the first year of that contract as he rehabilitates from surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon.

After getting waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard took his time to consider which team he would join as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.

Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe, Yang Hansen and the rest of the young Blazers now have Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday in the locker room — two high-level, consummate pros. This is only good for Portland in the long run.

The Celtics were one of several teams linked to Damian Lillard before the point guard elected to sign with the Blazers this week. The three-year deal worth $42 million led to a surprise reunion in Portland two years after he requested a trade out of the northwest.

"His heart was always there in Portland, his family lives in Portland" - Kendrick Perkins believes Damian Lillard never 'mentally left' the Blazers originally appeared on Basketball Network.