Damian Lillard is heading back to Portland.
Over two weeks after it was reported Lillard would be released by the Milwaukee Bucks, he is signing with the Trail Blazers on a three-year, $42 million deal, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported on Thursday.
Lillard returns to the place where he's spent the majority of his career. The No. 6 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Lillard played for the Trail Blazers from 2012–23, up until he was traded to the Bucks in 2023. He is now back in Portland, where he was a seven-time All-Star and is the all-time leader in points and three-pointers made.
Shortly after the news was announced, Lillard has posted his first reaction. He shared a video to X that panned across all the lockers in the Trail Blazers locker room. The last locker shown in the video was his alongside his No. 0 jersey, and the video then closed with the message, "together again."
RipCityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! @trailblazers pic.twitter.com/x3jnZr1s0G
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 17, 2025
Though Lillard will be spending the majority, if not all, of the 2025–26 season recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered during the Bucks' first-round playoff loss to the Pacers, the 35-year-old is now set to close out his career in the same place it began.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Damian Lillard Had Simple Two-Word Message After Reuniting With Trail Blazers.
