Damian Lillard Will Make $70 Million From Blazers and Bucks While Sitting Out 2025-26 Season With Achilles Injury Rehab

In a twist that no one saw coming just two years ago, Damian Lillard — once one of the NBA’s most durable superstars — will not play a single minute in the 2025-26 season. Yet, even as he rehabs from a torn Achilles tendon, Lillard is set to receive a combined $70 million in salary from both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The staggering total is a reflection of both his past greatness and the financial complexities of modern NBA contracts. It also raises serious questions about the long-term planning of front offices and the unpredictability of superstar trajectories.

Lillard’s career has always been defined by resilience, loyalty, and big moments. From waving goodbye to Oklahoma City with a cold-blooded buzzer-beater to carrying the Blazers through multiple playoff runs, he’s been the face of competitive fire. But this chapter — rehabbing an Achilles tear at 35 while cashing checks from two franchises he once called home — is as bizarre as it is unfortunate.

Let’s break down the financials. Lillard is owed $45.6 million by the Milwaukee Bucks, who traded for him in 2023 with hopes of pairing him with Giannis Antetokounmpo for multiple title runs. After a disappointing 2024 playoff exit and a rocky following season that ended in Lillard’s devastating injury, the Bucks surprisingly waived him earlier this offseason — not because of a lack of talent, but due to salary cap concerns and roster restructuring. Because his contract was guaranteed, Milwaukee remains on the hook for the full amount, even though Lillard is no longer on the roster.

Then comes the Portland Trail Blazers — yes, the team that originally drafted Lillard in 2012 and traded him to Milwaukee just two summers ago. In a wild full-circle moment, Portland re-signed Lillard to a veteran minimum deal shortly after his release, more as a symbolic reunion than a competitive move. That deal, worth approximately $2.5 million, might have looked small on paper — but that wasn’t the end of it. Because of a deferred payment clause stemming from Lillard’s previous supermax extension signed in Portland in 2022, the Trail Blazers still owe Lillard nearly $22 million in guaranteed deferred salary spread across this and the next season. Combined with the $45.6 million from Milwaukee and the new $2.5 million vet deal, Lillard’s total compensation for the 2025-26 season rounds out to a jaw-dropping $70 million — all while he recovers and watches from the sidelines.

The Achilles injury, suffered in the final month of the 2024-25 regular season, was a cruel blow. It not only ended Lillard’s season but potentially his hopes of ever returning to peak form. Achilles tears are notoriously difficult to come back from, especially for guards whose games rely heavily on burst and change of direction. At 35 years old, Lillard is facing a grueling rehab with no certainty that he’ll return to the elite level that once defined him.

Still, despite the injury, Lillard’s situation is emblematic of the current NBA landscape where contracts, not just performance, dictate value. This isn’t the first time a player has made millions while recovering or sitting out — think John Wall, Blake Griffin, or Klay Thompson — but the numbers in Lillard’s case are particularly jarring. His earnings this season place him among the league’s top five highest-paid players, and he won’t take the court once.

There’s also a certain poetic — or ironic — symmetry in the fact that both the Bucks and Blazers are paying for Lillard’s services, even though neither will see him suit up. Milwaukee chased a title window by mortgaging future flexibility for a short-term backcourt explosion. Portland, meanwhile, embraced a rebuild after dealing Lillard, only to find themselves once again entangled financially with their former franchise cornerstone. The dual payouts symbolize how franchises often end up tied to their stars, both emotionally and fiscally, even after parting ways.

For the Bucks, this is a cautionary tale. The Lillard trade was high-risk, high-reward, but they couldn’t have anticipated such a dramatic turn of events. In pairing Lillard with Giannis, they banked on experience and shot creation outweighing concerns about defense, age, and injury history. That gamble produced mixed results at best. They were eliminated early in the 2024 playoffs, and chemistry concerns lingered throughout the 2024-25 campaign. Then came the injury. With Giannis now in his 30s and Milwaukee’s cap sheet burdened by aging contracts, the team faces an uncertain future.

Portland, on the other hand, is still clearly rebuilding. The re-signing of Lillard was more about sentiment than basketball. It allowed the franchise to give one of its all-time greats a home base during recovery and possibly let him retire as a Blazer. Whether or not he ever takes the court again for Portland — or anywhere — remains up in the air. But for now, his presence serves as a symbolic bridge between the franchise’s past and its developing future, led by Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.

Meanwhile, Lillard has maintained a positive public front. He’s been seen courtside at Summer League games, offering mentorship to young guards and remaining active in the community. He’s even teased a possible return in 2026-27 if rehab goes well. Still, whispers around the league suggest that retirement is very much on the table. Lillard has already built a Hall-of-Fame résumé. With more than $450 million in career earnings, an Olympic gold medal, and countless iconic moments, he has nothing left to prove.

And yet, Lillard’s story remains compelling because of how uniquely it’s unfolded. In an era where superstars chase titles by team-hopping, he stayed loyal to Portland for over a decade before finally agreeing to a trade that he didn’t initially want — he had hoped for Miami, not Milwaukee. The experiment in Milwaukee was brief and bittersweet. Now, in what may be the final chapter of his playing career, he finds himself back in Portland — healing, watching, earning.

If this is the end, it’s a strange one. Few players go out while earning record money and doing nothing but rehab and reflect. But in many ways, it’s fitting for a player like Lillard — someone who has always done things his own way. Whether it was staying in Portland longer than most thought wise, or dropping 60 in a quiet midseason game that no one saw coming, Lillard has consistently zigged when others zagged.

As the 2025-26 NBA season tips off without him, Lillard will still be among the biggest financial stories in the league. $70 million is a number that demands attention — not because of what he’ll do, but because of what he already did to earn it. That money represents years of clutch shots, sold-out crowds in Portland, and even the high-stakes risk Milwaukee took in hopes of reaching the mountaintop. It represents the cost of chasing greatness and the long shadow that injuries cast over even the best careers.

In a league driven by narratives, Damian Lillard’s story might not be the fairytale ending he dreamed of. But it’s still deeply human — a mix of ambition, loyalty, misfortune, and legacy. Whether he comes back or not, Dame Time lives on, even if the clock is temporarily paused.