Lillard returns to the Trail Blazers with a rating of A-: The compatibility between both parties is quite intriguing, and a successful collaboration is expected.

On July 18, Beijing time, renowned journalist Shams reported that Lillard will sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Trail Blazers, returning to the team where he spent the first 11 years of his career. This contract is expected to include a player option for the 2027-28 season and a trade veto right. Following this, ESPN rated this signing by the Trail Blazers as A-. Here is a detailed analysis —

Lillard's return to Portland brings a warm conclusion to his unpleasant experience with the Bucks. This period ultimately ended with an Achilles injury and being waived with two years remaining on his contract.

For the first time in his career, when given the opportunity to choose a team as a free agent, Lillard chose to return to the place that witnessed his glory during the first 11 NBA seasons — Portland, where his family and children still reside.

From a basketball perspective, the compatibility between Lillard and the Trail Blazers is quite noteworthy. In the latter half of last season, the Trail Blazers found a new team identity without him. The Blazers acquired Tumani Kamara in the trade for Lillard and transformed the players and draft picks gained from that trade into Deni Avdija — both of whom were key contributors to the Blazers' 23 wins and 18 losses in the latter half of the season.

Now, the Trail Blazers have both Lillard and Jrue Holiday (who was re-signed through a trade with the Celtics during the offseason; Holiday was initially one of the returns for trading Lillard), along with the young players brought in through these trades, and they hold multiple first-round picks and swap rights from the Bucks.

Given that Lillard suffered an Achilles tear in late April, he is unlikely to play a significant role for the Trail Blazers in the upcoming season.Since JJ Barea in 2019, no NBA player has returned from an Achilles tear in less than 10.5 months; according to this timeline, Lillard may not return until mid-March next year at the earliest.

However, just before the opening of the free agent market, after the Trail Blazers reached a buyout agreement with center Ayton, they have the capacity to sign Lillard using the full mid-level exception without triggering the luxury tax, plus the $54 million guaranteed salary the Bucks will pay him. The essence of this trade is actually to enable Lillard to return in the 2026-27 season — by then, a healthy Lillard could potentially earn more than the $14 million offered by the Trail Blazers.

By then, Portland should have a clearer direction for the development of the backcourt. The move to trade Anfernee Simons will create more ball-handling opportunities for Scoot Henderson in his third season; at the same time, the Trail Blazers will also be able to assess how much competitiveness Holiday has left, as well as the long-term prospects of shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe. If Sharpe does not reach an extension with the team before the start of this season, he will become a restricted free agent next summer.

The Trail Blazers still have work to do, especially if the team hopes to make an impact in next summer's free agent market. Currently, with Lillard's salary and Sharpe's $25.2 million salary reserved, the Trail Blazers are more likely to remain above the salary cap. However, if they can shed the last two years of veteran forward Jerami Grant's contract, the Trail Blazers might free up salary space to sign another impactful player.

It is commendable that Lillard negotiated a contract that is favorable to him. If Lillard performs at a high level in the 2026-27 season, the player option in the final year of the contract will allow him to earn more without receiving a salary from the Bucks. Additionally,after being forced to move to a non-preferred destination in the 2023 trade, Lillard has now received a trade veto right — after Bradley Beal reached a buyout agreement with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, his trade veto right has expired, leaving only LeBron James and Lillard with this clause in the league.