After already missing out on Bradley Beal in his decision to join the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors have now lost the chance of acquiring another All-Star free agent guard just 24 hours later.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers are reuniting with Damian Lillard on a three-year, $42 million contract less than two years after they traded the franchise legend to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Warriors had expressed interest in Damian Lillard
Lillard stunningly became available just over two weeks ago when the Bucks made the shock decision to waive and stretch his contract in order to accomodate the signing of free agent center Myles Turner.
Despite tearing his achilles in the first-round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, a number of teams expressed interest in the 35-year-old who could make his return to the court sometime after the All-Star break next year.
BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42 million contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell ESPN. Deal is expected to include a player option in 2027-28 and a no-trade clause. A storybook reunion home for the 35-year-old. pic.twitter.com/mm1uUtMgO6
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1945956216733085863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Warriors were reported to be among the teams that had reached out to Lillard in the wake of his entrance into free agency, with a number of key elements they could have used to try and lure the 9x All-Star to the Bay.
Of course, Lillard is an Oakland native and the opportunity to return home could have been a major factor. His long-time head coach at Portland in Terry Stotts is now an assistant with Golden State, plus it’s easy to forget that he initially wanted to head to the Miami Heat two years ago where he would have become teammates with now Warrior forward Jimmy Butler.
Returning home was ultimately a big factor for Lillard, only that home for him is where his kids are. Charania also reported that Lillard had multiple offers on the table from other teams, but that a return to Portland where his family and kids reside “were of the ultimate importance.”
The Warriors wouldn’t have been able to match the financial offer from the Blazers anyway, unless they were to rescind the qualifying offer on Jonathan Kuminga which they weren’t going to do given the uncertainty around Lillard’s injury.
Lillard wouldn’t have been an perfect fit with Golden State necessarily, but he would have been a high upside swing that the franchise perhaps needed to take based on being a tier below the top teams in the Western Conference.
While this signing does crush the Warriors’ hopes of landing one of the most sought after free agents that was left on the market, few would bemoan Lillard returning to the Trail Blazers in what is a heart-warming reunion.
