Damian Lillard Reportedly 'Never Wanted to Leave' Blazers Amid $42M Contract to Return

Star point guard Damian Lillard's homecoming with the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason is reportedly what he wanted all along.

After spending the last two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard is back where he began his NBA career in 2012, and if he had it his way, he would've never departed Portland in the first place.

"Truthfully, he never wanted to leave," a source told ESPN's Jamal Collier.

The Blazers traded Lillard to the Bucks before the 2023-24 season to give him the chance to contend for an NBA title while they underwent a rebuild. Injuries derailed his hopes of earning an NBA championship, and despite recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in this year's playoffs, Portland still signed him to a three-year, $42 million contract following his surprising release from Milwaukee this summer.

In addition to being closer to his children, Lillard said his return to the Blazers was driven by his desire to be back in the city where he spent the first 11 years of his career.

"It never felt right, not being home," he said during his reintroductory press conference in July. "I never wanted to not be playing for this organization. To be back in this community, it all just feels right."