Whenever Damian Lillard eventually returns for the Portland Trail Blazers, he'll be without longtime teammate CJ McCollum. According to media reports, the Blazers agreed to a trade sending McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans, finally breaking up a Lillard-McCollum backcourt that for years ranked as one of the NBA's most prolific.
With McCollum moving on and Portland presumably hitting the reset button after also trading Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers, the focus naturally shifts towards what the future holds for Lillard.
The first order of business? Getting healthy.
Lillard last played on Dec. 31 and was shortly thereafter shut down. In mid-January, he underwent abdominal surgery and was given an initial recovery timeline of six-to-eight weeks.
Through 29 games, Lillard is averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds on .402/.324/.878 shooting splits. As of Feb. 8, the Trail Blazers have a 21-33 record and sit in 11th-place in the Western Conference, a half-game out of the play-in.
With Lillard still out and McCollum, Covington, Powell and Larry Nance no longer on the team, Portland is clearly shifting into a rebuild which likely removes playoff contention from the equation in 2022.
Could it also impact Lillard's recovery and injury timetable? Here's everything we know about his injury and the latest news on when he may return to the court.
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What is Damian Lillard's injury?
On Nov. 14, Lillard was officially ruled out for the first time this season in a game against Denver with "lower abdominal tendinopathy." It's an injury he said he "irritated" earlier in the month when the Trail Blazers faced the Cavaliers.
This same injury sidelined Lillard for five games between Nov. 30 and Dec. 8.
How long will Damian Lillard be out?
On Thursday, Jan. 13, the Blazers announced that Lillard underwent surgery to repair a core injury causing chronic abdominal pain.
Damian Lillard has undergone abdominal surgery.
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 13, 2022
Get well soon, Dame ❤️https://t.co/ucswBFwefO
According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Lillard is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks following surgery. On Saturday, Jan. 22, Lillard spoke with the media for the first time since undergoing surgery, saying he's "not in a rush" to return and more discussions will be had once he's re-evaluated following the six-to-eight-week timeline.
"I'm not in a rush, my number one goal is to win a championship, I gotta be in the best form to make that happen"
— Orlando Sanchez (@orlandokgw) January 22, 2022
Damian Lillard on what plan is going forward. Evaluated in 6-8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/CqwNWBk3c1
In line with that timeline, Lillard could miss anywhere between 19 to 25 games, and his potential return could depend on where the Blazers are in the standings by the time he's ready.
In November, Lillard told the media that he's played with the injury "for a few years now" and that he's "kind of immune to playing with it." It was reported that Lillard dealt with the injury during Team USA's gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics.
Damian Lillard on core injury that "tightened up a little bit" in first half of lass to Cavs #RipCity
— Jack Winter (@ArmstrongWinter) November 4, 2021
"I've played with it for a few years now, so I'm kinda immune to playin' with it. I've played well, done a lot of things with it being irritated." pic.twitter.com/GT3wshQTnb
Damian Lillard contract
Lillard signed a four-year, $176 million dollar max deal with Portland this past offseason and is on the hook for $39.3 million this season. His current contract runs through the 2024-25 season when he's scheduled to make $48.8 million.
Lillard does have a player option for that final season, meaning he can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
Trail Blazers schedule 2021-22
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 8 | vs. Magic | 10 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 9 | vs. Lakers | 10 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 12 | vs. Knicks | 5 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 14 | at Bucks | 8 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 16 | at Grizzlies | 8 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 24 | vs. Warriors | 10 p.m. | TNT |
| Feb. 27 | vs. Nuggets | 9 p.m. | – |
| Mar. 2 | at Suns | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mar. 5 | at Wolves | 8 p.m. | – |
| Mar. 7 | at Wolves | 8 p.m. | – |
| Mar. 9 | at Jazz | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
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