The best sign that everything is okay between Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers is he’s willing to stay there longer.
As was long expected — despite a bit of saber-rattling — the Trail Blazers and Lillard agreed to a two-year max extension off his existing contract. Shams Charania of The Athletic was first with the news but multiple reporters quickly confirmed. Lillard is officially expected to ink the deal this weekend while in Las Vegas for Summer League.
The Portland Trail Blazers and All-NBA star Damian Lillard are close to a two-year maximum contract extension, multiple sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The new deal would take Lillard’s contract through the 2026-27 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2022
Lillard’s new deal will give him a total of five years and nearly $270 million on his current NBA contract. He now becomes one of the top earners – estimated $451M in salaries – in NBA history. https://t.co/cjLutaveZu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2022
Some clarification is in order. First, the $120 million number is an estimate, the final number depends upon where the salary cap lands, but it can be no less than $106 million (there is expected to be a $10 million jump in the cap for the 2023-24 season). Also, the final year of the contract is a player option, coming up when Lillard is in his age 35 season. The Trail Blazers are willing to pay to keep Lillard happy and in the Pacific Northwest, but there is a chance the contract will be an anchor by that extension’s final season.
Lillard was a perennial All-NBA player until a chronic abdominal injury caught up with him last season, limiting him to 29 games and requiring surgery. The Trail Blazers are rebuilding around Lillard — bringing in Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II while re-signing Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic — although how well that team stacks up in a deep West is up for debate.
What we know is Lillard will be back.