JULY 6: The Trail Blazers have officially signed Lillard to his super-max extension, the team announced today in a press release.
“Since the day we drafted Damian he has exemplified every quality an organization could hope for in a franchise player,” Olshey said in a statement. “His perpetual leadership, willingness to embrace responsibility for outcome on the floor and ability to set a cultural standard illustrates what it means to be a Portland Trail Blazer and makes us ecstatic he has chosen to extend his contract at the first opportunity.”
JUNE 30: The Trail Blazers and franchise point guard Damian Lillard are working toward an agreement on a four-year, $196MM super-max contract extension, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Brian Windhorst of ESPN is reporting that the two sides have agreed on a deal, with Lillard also set to receive a player option for the 2024/25 season.
The extension will begin during the 2021/22 season. As we relayed yesterday, the projected cap figure for that season is $125MM, meaning that Lillard would earn an estimated $43.75MM in 2021/22, $47.25MM in 2022/23, $50.75MM in 2023/24, and a whopping $54.25MM in 2024/25.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports first indicated back in May that Portland and it’s star guard were working toward an extension. As we wrote then, Lillard’s four-year extension would cover his age 31-to-34 seasons, with the 29-year-old All-Star poised to make nearly $55MM at age 34.
Today, Haynes adds (link) that Lillard, his representatives, and Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey are meeting in Oakland tonight to finalize the maximum-contract extension.
Lillard, coming off one of his best seasons as a pro, averaged 25.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and a career-high 6.9 APG in 80 games for Portland on his way to being named All-NBA Second Team for the 2018/19 campaign.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Might as well go for it with him and c.j. Before you get cap strangled and go back to tanking for a few seasons. With the warriors massively weakened by injuries this next season is wide open in the west.
I wonder how far he will be stepping back to get his shot off in 2025. He shoots! He scores… record guaranteed millions!
It is said (by me?) Lillard can fix waywardness in people, like those persons typically found late in round one. Damon meet Nassir, Nassir, Damon.
Blazers are going to really end up regretting this.
Not if he wins them a chip. Very possible next year with a weakened West. I’d take them in a Conference finals over LAL next season, as long as LAL don’t acquire Kawhi lol
The article says the extension doesn’t start until 2021, which means he is already a ‘Blazer for the next 2 years with or without the extension.
Why, like there is a line of 25 year old MVP candidate free agents waiting to sign with Portland?
Give $50m to a 33yo future Hall of Famer franchise icon who is possibly still an All Star or give it to Meyers Leonard, Mo Harkless, and Kent Bazemore. The former is a fine choice.
That’s allot of money, but someone is going to pay it. Love his game, attitude, etc. Can only hope he doesn’t get the injury bug like CP3 and fall into the ‘strapped with a large contract’ category.
Dame is such a great player and so happy for him and his extension. Lot of money coming his way but I definitely think Portland needs to find a way to add another great piece alongside Nurkic, Lillard and McCollum to win a chip in the loaded West.
The owners, and players (who, in effect, are paying for this), need to sit down and think through the super max concept. Other than Lillard, this contract isn’t good for anyone; certainly the league or the game.
Agree. It’s just another pro-player move allowed by Adam Silver, like the salary floor crap rule.
Actually the super max contracts came into effect before Adam Silver was named commissioner & it’s part of the collective bargaining agreement between the league & the union
Pro-superstar move, specifically. Since the LBJ’s and CP3’s took over the players union, it no longer represents the majority of players very well. Since the strike in 2011, the small market owners have controlled the ownership group. So, it’s the superstars, on the one hand, and the small market owners, on the other, and Silver putting lipstick on the pigs they create.
That $55 million at age 34 is gonna be a disaster but you really have no choice
That’s a whole lot of cash for a man who couldn’t find his way through Golden State’s perimeter defense let alone win one game. They should be more focused on having Nurkic fresh for next year’s playoffs, the dude is made of glass and is always injured come playoff time.
No one gives a fck about your support over social media Nurkic, we want to see you perform on the court and be there for your teammates on the court not from the bench like a keyboard warrior.
Yeah I’m sure he planned on snapping his leg when he was playing the best of his career
I guess you don’t know but the Warriors defensive game plan was to stop Dame & they executed that game plan perfectly.———-Can’t blame the Bosnian Beast for not being on the court after he broke 2 bones in his lower leg during a game when he fell over an opponent. —– Anyone who gives you an up vote doesn’t know anything
If i lived off up votes I’d be a lot more careful with what I post but I could care less, just my take.
Man, the owners are really going to regret their decision to offer supermax deals.
Yep, there’s a massive wide open window that just opened up in the Great NW. It may be a short lived window of opportunity, however. Come 2020/21, the revolving dimensions of player health take on a new form, one ripe with imminent success. 2021, cant you hear me knocking?
McCollum should get out of there. He’s better than being the second-best guard.
He deserves every penny
At four years and 196 million that would come out to 49 million a year while he is definitely worth it and show that during the playoffs this will really cramp them when it comes to bettering the squad and getting them over that hump. If I was him I would’ve taken around for years and 160 that would’ve given them an extra nine or 10 million a year to get more depth.