The last time Damian Lillard suited up for the Portland Trail Blazers was on March 22, 2023. It has been more than three years since the nine-time All-Star took the court in a Blazers uniform.
The Blazers traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in September 2023. The 6-foot-2 point guard spent two seasons with the Bucks before they decided to waive him last year. This is after Lillard suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the 2024-25 NBA playoffs.
Lillard has since been working his way back to recovery. And now, it turns out that there is a possibility that he could make his long-awaited comeback against the San Antonio Spurs.
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Lillard supported his teammates on Tuesday as they defeated a Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs side in Game 2 of their first-round series, 106-103. The Blazers tied the series at 1-1, and it now shifts to Portland for Games 3 and 4.
According to Blazers reporter Bill Oram of The Oregonian, Lillard could actually see some action in this series. Oram reported that, per his source, Lillard is “close” to returning and that the chances of him returning for the playoffs are “not impossible.” In fact, there is reportedly a possibility that Lillard plays “deep, deep” in the Spurs series.
Portland head coach Tiago Splitter also provided an update on the 35-year-old.
“He’s working out,” Splitter said on Thursday after practice. “He’s trying to get ready to play. When that’s going to be, we don’t know. All I can say is that he’s working out as he always does.”
When asked if he thinks Lillard will return in the Spurs series, Splitter said, “Probably not.”
The odds are slim, but they are not zero.
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