Latest news with #DameTime
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard on Yang Hansen: 'He got some swag to him'
'He got some swag to him.'Had to get @Dame_Lillard's thought on his new rookie teammate @Hans15Y after his official re-introductory press conference Damian Lillard was welcomed back to the Portland Trail Blazers over the weekend, and the nine-time NBA All-Star is excited to get to work with the organization and his new teammates. Lillard was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks on July 6, clearing the way for him to sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Trail Blazers on Saturday. He spent the past two seasons with the Bucks after playing the first 11 years of his career in Portland. The Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer is expected to miss the entire upcoming season to rehabilitate a torn left Achilles tendon sustained on April 27. He said at a press conference on Monday that he wants to take as much time as needed to ensure a full recovery on the court. Lillard watched the Trail Blazers from afar and believes they are poised to take another step forward, with a core featuring Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, among others. He is also intrigued with the addition of 7-footer Yang Hansen. "Watching him during summer league, I was like, 'This is a real player,'" Lillard told team reporter Casey Holdahl. "Especially with the way the league is now, with a lot of these bigs that teams use as a hub to play make and facilitate the offense at times. He got some swag to him, too. He got some stuff to him. I think that is good for a rookie, especially somebody coming over that is not from the United States." Yang logged four appearances in the NBA Summer League, averaging 10.8 points, five rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 blocks on 45.7% shooting from the field, including 33.3% from 3-point range. He scored in double figures three times, including a 15-point effort on July 15. The 16th pick established himself as one of the top international prospects with Qingdao in the CBA, the top professional league in China. He was an All-Star and All-CBA domestic first-team selection in each season, and was named the 2024 CBA Defensive Player of the Year. Yang is highly touted for his overall skill set and ability as a player who can work down low, space the floor and protect the paint. The organization has had him on its radar for the past two years and believes he can be a player who contributes at a high level on both sides of the court. Though Lillard won't play next year, his addition has created buzz around the team after the group went 23-18 to finish last season. Yang even honored Lillard by recreating his patented "Dame Time" celebration during a postgame interview last week. "He got some personality on him," Lillard said of Yang. "You can tell the way he plays and the way he goes about it, he has some real confidence."
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Damian Lillard Gets $70 Million From Blazers and Bucks While Missing 2025-26 Season
'Dame Time' is returning home. Damian Lillard is signing a three-year, $42 million deal to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to multiple reports. With his new contract, Lillard will be getting paid $70 million total by the Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks as he sits out the 2025-26 season to rehab his Achilles injury. The Blazers traded Lillard to the Bucks ahead of the 2023-24 season following 11 years in Portland. The Bucks were hoping Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo would form a dynamic duo that would lead them to multiple championships, but Milwaukee failed to advance past the first round in their two seasons together. With Lillard expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles in the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks waived the nine-time All-Star earlier this month and stretched the remaining $113 million owed on his contract. With Portland's deal, Lillard will now be paid $70 million by both the Bucks and Blazers for the upcoming year. 'Lillard now will have a 2025-26 set salary of $70M between his Portland and Milwaukee deals, and a salary of $141M over the next two years ahead of an opt-out in 2027,' ESPN's Shams Charania reports. 'Blazers officials and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management are finalizing terms this week.' According to Charania, Lillard and the Blazers 'both deeply cared about the comeback in recent weeks.' Portland drafted Lillard sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. Over his 13-year career, the future Hall of Famer has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists per game, while shooting 43.9% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range. Related Headlines Yankees Expected 'To Get After It' Before Trade Deadline: 6 Blockbuster Trade Targets, Including Chris Sale Top MLB reporter: Teams Will 'Laugh At' Luis Robert Jr. If He Makes This Demand Did Kyle Schwarber's All-Star Game Heroics Drive Up His Price With Free Agency Looming? MLB Reporter Predicts Phillies 'Geared Up to Do Something Huge' At Trade Deadline
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Trail Blazers' Yang Hansen honors Damian Lillard after signing news
Portland Trail Blazers rookie Yang Hansen showed love to new teammate Damian Lillard on Thursday following the news that the nine-time All-Star would be rejoining the organization. Lillard has reportedly agreed to sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Trail Blazers after he was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks on July 6. He spent the first 11 years of his career in Portland before requesting a trade from the organization in July 2023. Shams Charania of ESPN was the first to report the news. The Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season to rehabilitate a torn left Achilles tendon sustained on April 27. He underwent surgery to repair the injury on May 2 and is expected to make a full recovery. Though Lillard won't play next year, his addition has created buzz around the team after the group appeared to take a step forward in the second half of last season. Yang honored Lillard by recreating his patented "Dame Time" celebration, via Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. Yang is in the midst of a productive showing with the Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League. The 7-footer is averaging 10.8 points, five rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 blocks on 45.7% shooting from the field, including 33.3% from 3-point range, in four appearances with the team. The 16th pick is highly touted for his overall skill set and ability as a player who can work in the paint, space the floor and protect the paint. He projects to contribute well at the next level and is eager to get to work with Lillard and the rest of the team next season.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Damian Lillard is back with the Trail Blazers: Good move or bad move? Plus, other NBA reunions we'd like to see
It's Dame Time again in Portland. Damian Lillard has agreed to a 3-year deal to return to the Trail Blazers, after the Bucks waived the star guard earlier this month. Lillard, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, spent his first 11 seasons in Portland and is expected to be ready for the 2026-27 season. What should we make of the reunion? Let's break it down. Good move or bad move for Dame? Dan Devine: Great move for Dame. Lillard returns to the franchise where he's a legend, to the city where he's a made man and, most important of all, to the home where he can be with his three children each and every day — a massive quality-of-life improvement for a player who'd been very vocal about the difficulties of being away from his family during his two years in Milwaukee. Oh, and Dame will get the Blazers' full $14.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception on a three-year deal. That comes with a player option for 2027-28 — potentially allowing him to re-enter unrestricted free agency for one more big score at age 37 — and a full no-trade clause. So: Between his waived-and-stretched deal with the Bucks and the new agreement with the Blazers, Lillard's in line to make $141 million over the next two seasons; to take the entirety of next year off to rehab his surgically repaired Achilles; to do it from the comforts of his own home; to put a regrettable period behind him; and to return to a city that adores him. Nice work if you can get it. Ben Rohrbach: Great move. Who doesn't like a grand reunion? It didn't even seem like Lillard was ever fully sold on the idea of leaving Portland, the future Hall of Famer loved it so much. To have the chance to finish his career where it started, shepherding the next generation of great Blazers, is storybook stuff. In the meantime, he gets paid handsomely to rehab his torn Achilles tendon. What, exactly, is not to like? Dan Titus: Good move, for sure. Sometimes it's deeper than basketball. Lillard returns to a beloved fan base and franchise that has supported him throughout his Hall of Fame career. He could've chased rings, but instead, Lillard chose family. At the end of the day, he's getting paid a ridiculous amount of money over the next two seasons to rehab an Achilles injury in which we don't know how he'll look when he returns. Lillard joins a young, ascending team, has earned himself a no-trade clause and will retire as the best Blazer in history. Sounds like a win across the board. Good move or bad move for the Blazers? Rohrbach: Meh? Lillard will sell tickets in Portland upon his return, but will the Blazers really want to hand the keys back to a high-usage 36-year-old who has rehabbed from a devastating injury a season from now, when the franchise will be years into the process of trying to emerge from Lillard's shadow? That depends on whether Lillard is willing to accept a diminished role behind any emerging young talent. Titus: With Paul Allen's estate announcing it's selling the team, I understand the decision to reacquire a star who can help drive revenue during a sale. The Blazers also wisely drafted Yang Hansen, who gives broader appeal to global audiences. Optically, it's the right move. Basketball-wise, it's more of a wait-and-see. I'm not sure how bringing back Dame accelerates Scoot Henderson's development. It probably stifles it somewhat, but overall, I like how Portland has reshaped its roster and is moving closer toward a contender than a pretender. Devine: First thing's first: It's good for Portland no matter how it works on the court. I'm not sure anyone involved here ever really wanted Dame to leave; now, all parties involved get a second chance, and the Blazers get to give their paying customers the gift of a heart-swelling reunion. Even in a results-based business like professional basketball, championships aren't the only thing that matters. The way this stuff feels is important, too. And this, near as I can tell, feels really friggin' good in Portland. There are reasonable on-court questions to consider. What will the Blazers' backcourt look like in the fall of 2026, with Lillard ready to return, Jrue Holiday owed $34.8 million for his age-36 season, Shaedon Sharpe perhaps starting the extension for which he's eligible now, and Scoot Henderson becoming extension-eligible himself? How will the introduction of a post-Achilles Dame alter the infrastructure and operation of a Blazers team that began to develop a defense-first identity last season? Is any of this enough to put Portland in position for the kind of postseason contention it's been chasing since before the pandemic? Those questions, and others, will find answers soon enough. The bet here, though, is that what the Blazers gain in bringing Dame home — emotionally and spiritually, if not necessarily practically — far outweighs what they might lose on the court in the bargain. What's another NBA reunion you'd like to see? Titus: Kevin Durant to Oklahoma City. It'd be cool to see KD, one of the staples of the franchise, give it one more go with the franchise that raised him. The expiration date has likely passed since OKC became the best team in basketball and is set up for success for years to come. Still, I think it'd be a good send-off for KD's illustrious but complex career. Devine: Let's get Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan back for one last lap in Toronto. They helped turn the Raptors into a consistently competitive, serious organization; Lowry reaped the fruits of those endeavors with the 2019 NBA championship, but DeRozan, sent to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard, never did. It'd be cool to see them get a season's full of flowers thrown at their feet north of the border before they both exit stage left. Rohrbach: Give me LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers — somehow, someway. They would have a real chance to compete for a championship with him in the mix on the wing, and wouldn't that be some full-circle moment for arguably the greatest — and certainly the longest — career in the sport's history? True or False: When Dame faces Milwaukee for the first time as a Blazer again, Giannis will still be a Buck. Titus: True. I expect Dame to return for the 2026-27 season. It may be wishful thinking, but Giannis has consistently displayed loyalty to Milwaukee. Barring a terrible upcoming season, Giannis will be a Buck until his $62M player option comes up in 2027-28. Rohrbach: False. While I also do not anticipate Lillard's return until the 2026-27 campaign, it is already in the best interest of both Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to negotiate a blockbuster trade. For now, it seems like both parties are open to finding a path forward together, but sooner or later — as soon as it becomes clear to them he cannot win another title in Milwaukee — they should pave his exit. Devine: True. Every year, we talk about Giannis leaving, and every year, he doesn't. At this point, I'll believe he's going when I actually see him holding up a new jersey in a press conference.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Damian Lillard Gets $70 Million From Blazers and Bucks While Missing 2025-26 Season
'Dame Time' is returning home. Damian Lillard is signing a three-year, $42 million deal to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to multiple reports. With his new contract, Lillard will be getting paid $70 million total by the Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks as he sits out the 2025-26 season to rehab his Achilles injury. The Blazers traded Lillard to the Bucks ahead of the 2023-24 season following 11 years in Portland. The Bucks were hoping Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo would form a dynamic duo that would lead them to multiple championships, but Milwaukee failed to advance past the first round in their two seasons together. With Lillard expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles in the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks waived the nine-time All-Star earlier this month and stretched the remaining $113 million owed on his contract. With Portland's deal, Lillard will now be paid $70 million by both the Bucks and Blazers for the upcoming year. 'Lillard now will have a 2025-26 set salary of $70M between his Portland and Milwaukee deals, and a salary of $141M over the next two years ahead of an opt-out in 2027,' ESPN's Shams Charania reports. 'Blazers officials and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management are finalizing terms this week.' According to Charania, Lillard and the Blazers 'both deeply cared about the comeback in recent weeks.' Portland drafted Lillard sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. Over his 13-year career, the future Hall of Famer has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists per game, while shooting 43.9% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range. Related Headlines Show Them The Money: Five Pass Rushers Set to Cash In After T.J. Watt's Record Deal Six Philadelphia Eagles Who Must Step Up for Another Super Bowl Run Steelers Make T.J. Watt Highest-Paid Defender in NFL History Derrick Lewis Next Fight: 3 Options for 'Black Beast's' UFC Return, Including Sergei Pavlovich
