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Damian Lillard reunites with the Portland Trail Blazers on 3-Year, $42M Deal | FIRST THINGS FIRST
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- Published on Nov 13, 2025
- Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes, and Chris Broussard react to Damian Lillard reuniting with the Portland Trail Blazers on a 3-year, $42 million deal. The crew discusses what this means for Dame’s legacy, the Blazers’ direction, and whether this reunion can lead to real success in the West.
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About First Things First:
Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes team up on First Things First. The trio offers their take on a bevy of sports stories alongside special guests from across the sports world.
Damian Lillard reunites with the Portland Trail Blazers on 3-Year, $42M Deal | FIRST THINGS FIRST
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Jrue Holiday ain’t no HOF’er😂
@openranks4519 he could definitely sneak in
Also, wouldn't dwade be a better comparison for dame?
😢😢😢😢😢😢😮😮😮😢😮
We don't care about anything Keyshawn is involved in
None of this would have happened if the bucks didn’t hire doc Rivers. Ion care what nobody say
As a lifelong Bucks fan… I wholeheartedly agree lol
Doc Rivers is so overrated and it’s crazy how to snaked his way into the HC job with the Bucks
Agreed
So glad sixers moved on 😵
😂😂😂😂 you might be on to something
The Blazers are literally paying Lillard the max mid-level salary to commemorate his legacy with the team rather than paying him for performance base, knowing full well that he’s going to be out rehabilitating his injury for the entire season of 2026. This paycheck is just a show of courtesy and respect for his legacy.
And to sell tickets. You have to factor in the bottom line. His Jersey sales in oregon are going to rise, not only that Dame is going to put butts back in seats. People are going to go just to see him courtside and get a chance to be next to him. It benefits everybody in reality
Arent the bucks paying most of his salary next year?
What legacy?
@KDP24top 75
@KDP24tons of game winning shots with no rings to show for.
The real story is how much respect the blazers have for lillard back on a torn Achilles
That KD shat...lol
What else do they have to look forward to? if they had a squad and or a clear direction they probably wouldn't even consider it.... Yet this guy literally went back there.
@lewismoultrie5548 it's 42 mil over 3 years for at WORST the second greatest blazer ever to come home, and Portland is uncertain about its PG situation as it currently stands. They have the makings of a squad and a clear direction already. These things aren't mutually exclusive
@lewismoultrie5548they are one of the youngest teams and finished the season 22-18 last season. With dame there as a vet to help the kids they have a clear direction.
The fans loved Lillard, which he was one of their own since he was drafted by Portland and turned out to be great player. If Lillard would have been a mediocre player, no dame time then the fans wouldn't have felt the same way about him coming back. Am not sure if it's respect or not, would they have brought Lillard back if they had to pay him 50 or so million? They know the fans love Lillard and so he will put butts in seats and have a buzz around the team when he comes back.
When they say “The grass always ain’t greener” they talking about this situation 😂
FAXXX 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You right 😂😂😂
@reggiebrooks8897I miss my ex. The grass wasn’t greener man
This the dyslexic version
@Messigoat1033I don't miss my ex.. my new gf is 10000 times better glad I left 😂😂😂
So two teams are paying him next season to sit home?
😂😂😂
Dames lucky af 😂
Yup, literally
Where did you read he is going to sit at home??? Stupid question. He's going to be a coach on the sideline while he recovers from the Achilles during the first year. Can't you imagine how the young players are going to improve under his tutelage???
He'll be a great resource for the young guys on the team. I'm sure he'll be worth the $16.5m next year.
Can somebody tell Nick WE KNOW WHAT HE MEANS!!!
Yeah he says “you know what i mean” waaayyy to much 😂
seriously man. he's one of those "thinks he's the smartest one in the room" type of people. it's really offputting
@teddiskimOftentimes he is
@teddiskimand “you know what I mean?” Is a rhetorical question
@teddiskimur one of those people who thinks they can perfectly read everyone in the room’s personality to a T
Wildes with such a phenomenal take i love it!! To me when you see the hurt in giannis voice and face when the dame news came i really think the emotions hot him and he wants to be "loyal" like dame .
Shout out to Portland for doing the right thing
It ain’t like they’re contending, so why not bring their overrated icon back?
How is it the right thing .. good for them and dame but don’t see how this qualifies as the right thing
We love Dame no matter what. Y’all can’t ruin this for us.
Go Blazers they haters
Came back with his tail between his legs 😂😂😂
@kalhoon44dayinthelife46we don’t hate on bummy teams 😂😑
How are they hating?
@lockhunter6956comments
They need to bring up Dirk every time they talk about loyalty. A legendary championship and forever beloved by the city
for us germans, hes the best basketballplayer we ever had. a legend
@sku36 that’s not saying much, you people don’t produce good ballers
@MeBihhhhyou mean like you guys cant play football? besides remind me whos world cup champion in basketball? 😂
@sku36 everyone plays football here. If you mean soccer then only our females take it seriously and looks like they stomp you guys religiously 😂 go fish
@sku36by football you must mean a different sport because that’s literally the most popular sport here in America 😂 our girls play soccer so makes sense German men are one of the girls
Crazy how you’re talking about the good players on Portland and not even mentioning Deni Avdija. The guy’s been solid - defense, playmaking, and scoring. Give him some credit!
I think they were focusing on the backcourt since Dame is a guard. But since you mentioned it, let Deni make an All Star first, before it’s required to glaze him.
3:20 He’s a Blazer legend and they took care of him for it. Good business and I’m happy for Dame.
Damian Lillard is officially my favorite player in the NBA and I have 100% respect for him.
At least he knows his place 😂
Then spell his name right bro
Glazing
@ADUSNno it is because of how god awful Portland is that the fact that someone is willing going back to that sesspool of stupid deserves my total respect, because I could never.
Can we stop trying to send every free agent to the Lakers. I’m saying this as a Lakers fan. This is why I hate the media sometimes.
SYBAU
@datm340i6 Do you still feel cool commenting that, now that hours have passed and you still have 0 likes?
@rohanshah75593 likes while you got none. Sit this one out kid
Did Nick say his guy Scoot ? Man he really is a Klutch agent. Wow man.
Scoot has been his guy since he was drafted.
@persephone9360 Scoot agency is klutch sports, I don't think you got it
Formally known as scoot”future roty winner over wemby “Henderson
@jeremyb5862 Flew right over his head.
Dame said this is the team hes always wanted around him. I think hes excited
He loves Portland I don’t blame him if his family still there he’s good with management
Dame never wanted to leave the Blazers. He felt obligated to by the media and the fans but his heart never left Portland. Good on Dame for being loyal to the city that drafted him and probably finishing his career there
Yeah, sure. Not like he would've stayed in Milwaukee if he could
Dame going back to Portland is literal proof he values comfort and buckets to pressure and 'chips.
Maybe/maybe not, and if so, you know what? Good for him. Doesn’t say anything negative about him whatsoever.
@jerodgraham6623as a person? Of course not, but as a player? Yes, it definitely says some negative things about him as a player and his genuine want to win or lack of.
@YouReallyDontKnownot every player wants to win championships and ring chase. If Dame is happy in Portland and wants his legacy to be a Blazer, we can’t hate on that. We cannot hate on Kevin Durant for ring chasing and then in the same breath hate on Dame for being loyal to his city.
Just got burnt playing with a pf pg. It's taxing
Yea u know what that's gotta be it...not being a good dad to stay close to his 3 kids while on his job ...yea he do the other he wins father of year award tho right ?
Damian Lillard back to his comfortable spot no expectations
Dude is 35 and tore his Achilles. What expectations did you have for him before this signing?
@Rosecain27he goes back to Portland there are no expectations for him to win there if he goes to a contender there are expectations to win did I explain it enough for you
@belindatrawick9321 lol way to dumb it down
@belindatrawick9321 true but the dude will be a shell of himself after this and he knows it. I kinda understand why he made the move, he’d rather be with his family and a franchise that adores him. To him Portland is home, so I get it. He made his attempt at ring chasing and it didn’t work out. I’m not gonna flame him for retiring where he can be comfortable.
@mrhoneycutterthat could be the case also
Dame is a very smart man, signing back with the blazers! Its home sweet home, city of Portland loves Dame, they wont be any good next season so he can take as much time to get healthy. Having your peace of mind and making sure your family situations are better is more valuable than chasing a ring, which is a lost cause in Milwaukee
No one brings up Kevin Love when discussing 16 Cavs
True
Yep. And it's ridiculous that they don't mention him more.
@Valiant314 totally agree
That's because he barely played in the finals.....
Also , The Cavs would have literally win the championship the year before without Kevin Love throughout the playoffs and finals had Kyrie never got injured game 1 of the 2015 finals.
Its a great take wildes
It's become conventional wisdom at this point: you can't win in this generation with just two superstars. The average NBA player has gotten so skilled and so valuable at this point where you'd rather have one star, good role players, and a deep bench. We've seen it fail again and again with Kawhi-George, LeBron-Luka, KD-Kyrie, KD-Booker, and now Dame-Giannis.
Totally agree. In terms of video games, it’s like there are 10 guys with a 90 OVR rating that will cost you $50-70M a year. But then there are like 100 guys around 80 OVR that are like $10-25M per year. And if you have a lot of quality players instead of going top heavy, you aren’t as much at the mercy of unlucky injuries.
Ok… curry and Thompson, Shaq and Kobe, Jordan and Pippen, Olajuwon and Drexler, James and Wade, Nowitzki and Kidd, Tatum and brown… tell me how 2 stars doesn’t work… should I go on?
@streetjones7713exactly. I don’t know what they are talking about. Dudes acting like we didn’t watch okc win. Jalen Williams averaged 21 in the playoffs
@jaydell4039yeah this is nonsense that keeps getting pushed . I think it’s because some really want to lean into the it’s so much more skilled now .. when it’s really the same thing .. superstar(s) .. with a star /all star teammate(s) and role players to fill it out
Part of the issue is some of these guys aren't true superstars, but mostly that you always needed a deep team to win a chip, unless you got a sick run of luck. The Kobe-Lakers were so good that they had a winning record in games he sat. Both of MJ's threepeat teams were broadly good, including that the second might be the most broadly stacked team in NBA history. The Spurs and Heat dynasties were broadly pretty good in their prime, etc.
He don't want no pressure.
It def helped Kidd’s legacy winning that championship lol. When I think of that Dallas team I think of Dirk, Terry, Kidd, and Carlisle (masterpiece of coaching almost topped only by what he almost pulled off in 2025 lol).
CRAZY. KEEP GETTING YOUR MONEY
3year $42Mil and there's a question as to why he signed? Because no one else would give him more than the minimum
Couldn't stay away from that Oregon budz too long .
Couldn’t he import it?
@Oneofthe1lol try getting past Idaho nah
Real talk 😂
The bots in this comment section are out of control
Man it's crazy
How yall be knowing what comments are bots lol
@kwilliams1958ninja what lol
The young guys are 22 years old. In 3 years they are just entering their prime. This is a perfect timing situation where scoot specifically gets mentored by dame and we get Jrue on Sharpe and Scoot for defensive sharpening. Iron sharpens iron
Dame might be the most loyal player of all time
Unpopular opinion. Dame didn’t want a chip as bad as we wants him with a chip.
simple explanation: Scoot being a bust is the reason why Dame is back. if henderson came at least close to his pre-draft potential, no way Dame will be back. i still remember vividly that the narrative back then was "Portland need to move on from Lillard because Scoot is the most talented, most NBA-ready player from his draft class, and Dame may hinder his development". Turned out the most impressive thing about Henderson is his afro.
How could he show his talents if you got Simons there trying to be the next dame. And grant trying to be his own star both on the same team. Shaedon sharpe hasn't panned out either because of those two were on the team. Scoot finally has a chance to be scoot now without Simons or grant hogging the ball. Shaedon even gets to shine more. And dame can watch as they grow into who they are projected to become.
@prestoncurry8017I guess we'll see this season but im not as high on Scoot actually becoming something at this point. Maybe its a too early giving up on him. Hes not a bust but this idea hes gonna be the next franchise star is a bit meh.
@RDOJR7 being a solid starter in your time line there isn’t meeting expectations.. Portland would probably be disappointed in he’s just a “solid starter “ in a few years
Dude seriously? Hahaha.. Yeah that's the reason he came back.. Smh 😅
@P503Dudeyes very serious. You think if BUM scoot turned out to be SGA , Dame will be back?
Giannis isn't going no where. He doesn't want the pressure of a big market team.
8:57 Championships always changes a player’s legacy! Always!
I had a hunch this was coming!
7:48 Great take, Wildes. That's why LeBron to Miami and back to Cleveland and back to LA is so insane.
except he won a chip at all three
Wildes is 100% right! KD, Paul George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, even Bradley Beal all would have been better off staying with the teams that made them icons.
Beal and icon in the same sentence is crazy
Same gets a pass by the media smh 🤦🏿♂️
He’s going Home… 🙌🏼
They should've gave him 3 yrs 15 million he's already getting 50 from Milwaukee
I feel like Lillard should take the next few years and help Portland set themself up for the future. Trade the team for picks a few years form now. Let Lillard play with a bunch of rookies and trade them in a couple years. Get yourself a good solid rebuilding situation and capitalize on dame selling tickets
You feel!!!
We’re witnessing a nba retirement plan play out in real time with this dame deal
As a Bucks fan, it hurts that we couldn't get Dame a ring but I believe we helped do what was best for him and whatever we could for our team. I'd rather we did what we did so he's happy than keep him and pray next year.
Shout out to Wildes who was the only media person to point out this might be a thing for Giannis to observe and similar thoughts for me with Giannis; whatever makes him happy, I hope he does that. I hope he hears this segment and particularly after Wildes take because Nick and Chris just proved what is kind of "wrong" with media. They say he's probably top 15 but he needs to leave because if he wins more rings, he 'might' get in the top 10 conversation. So no matter what, he will be seen under this microscopic lens as to how great he actually is and another ring or two will only move him up so much. Again, personal thought there but what does winning another ring or multiple really do for him that every sports media person and their mother want him out of Milwaukee? If someone in national media says 'ratings' then it's a retorical question.
1:57 Scoot Henderson is my guy too. Hopefully this coming season is his year
He just holding a spot until they see if same comeback just as good
Portland is building a very good, young team with a few key vets. Having Dame back is great. Ya'll need to study that roster a bit more.
There used to be a lot of value in being the franchise player for a team. Time spent as a franchise player was just as important as being the second or third option on a championship team. That's why players didn't ring chase until after their primes. Also, I personally don't think rings mean as much to players as we assume they do.
STOP listing the Lakers in the same category as contenders. The Lakers arent contending for anything.
Dame seems to be content with his legacy as a great player, HOF caliber, thus not worried about winning a 'chip.
Brou really wants Giannis to leave Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is not one of Brou's 18 hometowns.
I think Giannis needs to stay in Milwaukee and go down with his ship. A lot of the Buck’s failures and bad decisions can be traced to Giannis meddling in the front office, he has no right to jump ship out of the mess he created himself
Gianni’s to NAPTOWN! ✊
@rohanshah7559He won them a championship, he doesn’t owe the Bucks anything.
This is pretty much a retirement deal and I’m surprised people don’t see it
Vid droped 30 secs ago and im already here lol
And a horde of bots along with it🤦♂
I have to give credit where it's due. Because I am quick to call Nick right out on his takes about LeBron James and Kansas City. But when he's not being biased, he has some good points and takes:)😊
Wow this is the first time I seen Nick actually have a good point 😂
Jason Kidd’s ring absolutely boosted his legacy more than Gary Payton’s
He doesn’t care about winning a championship. He chose the money. He’s already got enough now go get your ring.
Gianni’s going to LAL it feels inevitable tbh
Normally I’m with Wildes, but dude, Giannis is already the best Buck of all time, and will be treated as such whether he leaves or stays, he’s that guy.
I like that Wildes wants to see good in the world. We could all use some of that.
Dame x Yang Henson to end his career is gonna be epic to watch. it makes the media talk Portland Trail Blazers again. Colin Cowherd’s all about big markets but has a soft spot for the western states
Kant wait we may make it happen yamean lol
Yang is nothing
Ok serious question… and I only bring it up because this isn’t the first time Brou has done it. Why does Brou keep calling him Lew Alcindor? Kareem only played 1 season under that name and changed it after the season. Why is he doing that? I’m genuinely curious?
That’s what his mother named him lol
He refers to him according to the timeline he's discussing. Kareem won the championship under his birth name. When he talks about his later period he he refers to him as Karim AJ, I've seen many media guys that do that.
@eladnaor6099ok I guess that makes sense.
@eladnaor6099 many media guys hate Muslims so that’s why you see that.
Yeah, it’s weird.
Forever a medium sized fish in a tiny pond 😂
Like KD told CJ, "there's levels to this, stay on your level"
KD is the smallest fish in the entire league so stop it
Jrue Holiday ain’t no HOF’er😂
He’s definitely going to be a HoF’er based on resume
L take. He's a 6x All-Defense, 2x All-Star, 2x Champion, 2x Olympic medalist 🥇
@rquirozsotothat’s what I’m saying 🤦🏾♂️
Although I agree with you, the nba throws anyone into the HOF
Portland also has some great picks in the draft.
that's a crazy contract for an older player coming off a big injury. I like the guy, just seems like a lot of money, but Portland isn't doing anything so I guess it'll help the young guys and get some attention.
Kudos to the blazers wanting him back and giving him player option and no trade clause. Let him rehab back home and give him 2 years to see if he can get 1 last big contract
Sports fans are fickle. They criticize players for ring chasing and for being loyal to a city.
Except me I don’t think everybody should get a ring it will water rings down I told my friend years ago dame should never leave
The reason for Dame going back to Blazers is for fan excitement and increasing the value of the franchise. Owners are looking to potentially sell
How is a washed up post Achilles injury Dame gonna accomplish either of those things?
@jaydot4956 cause ticket prices will be 2x, easy marketing with dame time, loyalty, mr trailblazer etc. More conversation on local and national media outlets on the blazers. Casual fans in portland get interested cause they have their local legend back. Dame gets used as a prop to meet prospective buyers. List goes on
@jaydot4956washed up is a bit harsh . But I agree that it’s not going to increase any sale value.
Wow. Just wow.
Facts.
Dame is gonna return being a #4 or #5 option if he was on a good team. Being on Portland he’ll be a lot more important in the offense, but still, I think Dame’s career is pretty much done unfortunately with the injury and his age
I want to hear from actual fans who live in Portland, OR, and the PNW how they feel about this… not randos who don’t care about the Blazers projecting their own values on professional athletes. Dame is a beloved folk hero in Portland! There’s no shame in being a beloved iconic franchise player like Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing, or John Stockton. And wanting to be close to your kids is admirable.
Why hasn’t anyone give the take of Dame not wanting to play with Giannis? That would be false but that’s what these reporters do for clicks.
I wish I could find the comment section where people argued with me because they said "well if dame signs anywhere else, the money stays the same because the he would be owed the difference of his waive and stretch".. NOPE. The only thing this deal helps with is the buck's cap hit. Their cap only gets hit with difference of what the Blazers are paying him, vs what they have to pay him. They still have to pay him, and this worked out amazing for Dame, who is still getting stretch money and his new Blazer's money and he won't even have to play this season. Congrats Dame (and Beal too) the biggest finessers in the NBA.
“they got great young talent, they got jrue holiday” like bro what 🤣🤣
Sure he’s talking about the centers they have and sharpen and scoot .. what’s the issue ?
@timmartin2417the order he said it made it seem like jrue was the young talent lmao relax Mr literal
@HookedinCTmy bad
Nick is praying for Henderson to become a great player because Charlotte drafted Miller over him 🙄
I wish he would’ve ring chased for a year or two then end his career in Portland but I’m not mad at it. hes beloved in Portland
Can someone explain to me what accolades have Dame won to be a 1st ballot HOF?...
Shoutout Speed man
No way Dame should be top 75
How does Nick do it? He finds a way to insert LeBron in every discussion.
Because he's in love
hearing nick wright mention speed in 2025 was not on my bingo card 😭
Timestamp?
Larry Johnson was a beast and only played for two teams.. I love these guys but they have a habit of making me feel like they aren't that big into some of these sports actual history
They aren’t and that’s because the fans aren’t. Co host never correct each other either
Everything isn't about winning a NBA title. Dame tried in Milwaukee and it didn't work out. Sounds like he wanted to be near his family and in a place where he can recover and be happy. It just so happens to be the place where it all started for him. Dame is also getting all his money. Win, win, situation.
Broussard saying Damian Lillard wouldn’t care about getting a ring is wild because he would be similar to Gary payton jr? lol
Portland is a play where careers die….It’s cute that he returns “home.” Dame doesn’t make his teammates better on the court….but this does nothing but sell tickets for the Jailblazers.
Best k dub ..take ever!😂
‘Lakers are contenders’ 😂😂😂😂
Media wanted him to ring chase and go to all these teams like the Lakers and such so bad. Truth is he’s never wanted that or to do that
nobody else wanted lillard where he could be the man
Also reminder Giannis loves Dame and Jrue. And the Blazers control 3 of the Bucks 1sts. So say they package Scoot/Clingan/3 Bucks 1st and 2 of their own 1sts for Giannis. Dame,Jrue,Deni,Giannis,Yang/Robert Williams. With Sharpe and Toumani off the bench is a contender.
The myth of Miami Heat culture couldn't get Damon again.
I agree with wilds
Dame was nice but let’s pump the breaks on a definite hall of famer.
You're joking right?
What????? He’s a first ballot HOF no question about it.
11:50 that's why Milwaukee should trade him to Portland in order to get all of their pics back
Everything saw says gets muted.
42M while making the +100M from the Bucks?! Sitting out one season for 14M?!
Its not the prodigal son returning home, its the greedy ex returning after being run by some other guy
They opened the door and let that ex walk right back in the house
In what way is he greedy? He is being paid his market value by Portland and the Bucks traded him.
Why exactly would he owe anyone a pay cut exactly?
@zaneplatt3533 Why you ask?
- Cause he is making +100M from the Bucks
- Cause he will sit out one full season
- Cause after that he will be a 37 returning from an achiles
- Cause the Blazers could get a helpfull player with the remaining money
- Cause its his house ready to embrace him again
It’s crazy the hate Milwaukee gets. Boston and Indiana are basically out of it. And the greatness of Giannis I believe can lead them to the finals.
Wildes is the greatest!
His takes are more about emotion and feelings compared to Brou and Nicks' more fact-based arguments
Facts over emotions all day everyday
@boltblazer1670 yup... again, Wildes is the greatest.