The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to offer franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard a two-year contract extension worth more than $100 million, Bleacher Report said Wednesday.
That falls in line with the two-year, $107 million deal that ESPN reported in December that Lillard was seeking.
Such a deal wouldn’t be without risk for the Trail Blazers and new general manager Joe Cronin. Lillard would be in his mid-30s when the extension kicks in and is coming off an injury that sidelined him much of last season.
Lillard, who turns 32 next month, is playing on a four-year, $176 million extension he signed in July 2019. It expires with a player option for the 2024-25 season.
His 2021-22 season ended after only 29 games because of abdominal surgery. He last played Dec. 31 and underwent surgery on Jan. 13.
The 2021-22 season also saw the breakup of Portland’s longtime backcourt of Lillard and CJ McCollum. The Blazers dealt McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 8.
Portland acquired Jerami Grant from Detroit before this month’s NBA draft. The Blazers also must make decisions on veteran free agents Joe Ingles and Jusuf Nurkic.
Lillard, who was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team earlier this year, has career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in 711 starts for Portland. He is a six-time All-Star.
–Field Level Media
