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.

The post Blazers Ink Superstar Damian Lillard to a 2-Year, $122 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After years of coming short, Damian Lillard managed to get the Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Finals in 2018/19 NBA season. And now he is getting a reward for his effort.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, Blazers will make Lillard one of the highest paid players in the NBA by signing him to a super-max four-year extension that is worth $196 million. The agreement includes a $54.3 million player option in the last year of this extension.

Lillard’s current deal, which he signed back in 2015, runs through the 2020-21season and pays him $61 million.

Lillard comes off a tremendous regular season in which he averaged 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals and helped Portland clinch the third spot in the West. He had even better playoff run, which saw the Trail Blazers eliminate Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets en route to Western Conference Finals where they were eliminated by Golden State Warriors.

Portland Trail Blazers drafted Damian Lillard 6^th overall in 2012 NBA Draft and he immediately made his impact on the league by winning a Rookie of the Year award in his first season in NBA. Lillard became a face of the franchise following LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure in 2015 and made a name for himself as one of the best guards in the league. He also led Portland to playoffs appearance in each of the past six years.

Lillard’s career highlights include four NBA All-Star appearances and one All-NBA First Team honor.

The post Damian Lillard Agrees to a Super-Max, $196 Million Extension with the Blazers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

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.

The post Blazers Ink Superstar Damian Lillard to a 2-Year, $122 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After years of coming short, Damian Lillard managed to get the Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Finals in 2018/19 NBA season. And now he is getting a reward for his effort.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, Blazers will make Lillard one of the highest paid players in the NBA by signing him to a super-max four-year extension that is worth $196 million. The agreement includes a $54.3 million player option in the last year of this extension.

Lillard’s current deal, which he signed back in 2015, runs through the 2020-21season and pays him $61 million.

Lillard comes off a tremendous regular season in which he averaged 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals and helped Portland clinch the third spot in the West. He had even better playoff run, which saw the Trail Blazers eliminate Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets en route to Western Conference Finals where they were eliminated by Golden State Warriors.

Portland Trail Blazers drafted Damian Lillard 6^th overall in 2012 NBA Draft and he immediately made his impact on the league by winning a Rookie of the Year award in his first season in NBA. Lillard became a face of the franchise following LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure in 2015 and made a name for himself as one of the best guards in the league. He also led Portland to playoffs appearance in each of the past six years.

Lillard’s career highlights include four NBA All-Star appearances and one All-NBA First Team honor.

The post Damian Lillard Agrees to a Super-Max, $196 Million Extension with the Blazers appeared first on SportzBonanza.