Blazers to officially welcome Damian Lillard home

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Damian Lillard, who seemingly never really wanted to leave Portland, will be officially reunited with his adopted city in a Monday press conference at Moda Center.

The 6 p.m. press conference will include Lillard, Blazers GM Joe Cronin and Head Coach Chauncey Billups. KOIN 6 Sports will have a crew at the press conference and you can watch it live on KOIN.com

Lillard, the 35-year-old nine-time All-Star, signed a three-year, $42 million contract to come back to Portland. But he won't play this upcoming season. He ruptured his Achilles in the playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks and will need all of next season to rehab.

Lillard’s salary for his rehab season will be $70 million between his Portland and Milwaukee deals. The deal includes an opt-out clause in 2027.

Although the overwhelming reaction to Dame's return has been positive -- including from leading Blazers fan Sen. Ron Wyden -- not everyone thinks it's a good idea.

In an article for CBS Sports, Sam Quinn wrote about the complicated financials, the timing, Lillard's advancing age for an athlete, and the intangible about who will be the team leader once Dame returns as a player.

"Given the no-trade clause Lillard secured in this deal and the acrimony surrounding his 2023 trade request, another departure from Portland would only come up if Lillard so desired, but it would be hard to rule out entirely given everything we've covered," Quinn wrote.