Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers are expected to seal a super-maximum contract extension worth $191 million. This new deal which will earn Lillard four additional years with the Blazers came after a close chance for a title contention as the team reached the Western Conference final for the first time in 19 seasons.
Lillard, a 4-time All-Star player, will only qualify for the $191 million supermax extension if he is selected for one of the three selections in this seasons “All-NBA teams''. Lillard is likely to achieve this, coming off one of the best years of his career, having averaged 25.8 points, 6.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. He took advantage of 44.4% of his pitches, and 36.9% of the three-point line.
The contract now in effect between Lillard and Portland goes until the season 2020-2021, in the amount of $62 million. The super maximum contract, if signed in July, will run from the season 2021-2022 until the season 2024-2025, when Lillard will be 34 years old. The new deal for Lillard is also expected to include a player option, which is something he bypassed on his previous contract.
The new $191 million Supermax contract would confirm Lillard's intention to end his career at Blazers, probably becoming the biggest player in the franchise's history. This type of contract was tied to the collective bargaining agreement of the NBA to give teams a better chance to maintain their own stars. In particular, this helps small-market teams compete in the free agency period with larger markets.
Yahoo Sources: In building off an incredible run, Damian Lillard and Portland Trail Blazers expected to come to terms on a supermax deal in the offseason: https://t.co/UmzF9Mh5vc — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 21, 2019
Through this type of supermax contract, Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry was able to sign a $201 million deal for five years with the Oakland team in 2017, earning him a gross payout of around $34 million for the 2017-2018 season alone - the biggest in NBA history. Other recent players who have acquired mega-extensions are Russell Westbrook $205 million for five years with the Oklahoma City Thunder and John Wall $207 million for five years with the Washington Wizard.
Because the salary limit increases every year, the logic pushes to deduce that in the maximum extensions - more for Designated Veteran Extension players - the amounts will be more enormous as time passes. Any extension agreed in the future will, therefore, see more money than those signed in the present and for years.
Even though Lillard was not in his best version in the final of the West against Golden State as he was dragged with discomfort in his ribs for much of that time. Lillard is an All-NBA player that the Blazers can grow with the help of the supermax contract. He's going to get paid a king's ransom, and he's worth every single penny.
