The Portland Trail Blazers are doubling down on their commitment to superstar guard Damian Lillard. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Lillard and Blazers agreed to a two-year extension that is worth $122 million.
With the extension in place, Lillard is now under contract with Portland through the 2026-27 season. The last year of his deal is reportedly a player option. He is set to earn $137 million in the next three years before the extension kicks in.
Around the same time last year, it seemed that Lillard was closer to leaving the Blazers than staying in Portland. The franchise has underperformed, and there was a sense the Blazers would rather trade their star player than offer him a new contract that will pay him around $60 million when he’s 35. However, the lack of deals to be made and the risk of alienating their fan base prevailed, and the Blazers are not all-in on Lillard, for better or worse.
Damian Lillard had a testing 2021-22 season that saw him play only 29 games before being shut down with an abdominal injury. The time he did spend on the court saw him average 24.0 points, which was his lowest since 2014 while shooting a career-low 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent behind the three-point line.
The Blazers went to tanking mode after Lillard’s injury and missed the playoffs, but there were several positives for the franchise. Their young guard Anfernee Simons got an opportunity to shine and develop into a valuable contributor, while Portland also got a high pick in the 2022 NBA Draft that they used to select highly-rated small forward Shaedon Sharpe.
