Damian Lillard didn’t need long to remind Portland what it had been missing.
After 1,295 days away from the Trail Blazers, Lillard stepped back onto the floor Wednesday and helped lead Portland to a 123-118 preseason win over the Golden State Warriors at The Moda Center. For the nine-time All-Star, the night felt less like a return and more like a reset.
"It felt like I was back where I belong," Lillard told reporters following the preseason victory at The Moda Center. "Back home."
The connection clearly still runs deep. Lillard spent 11 seasons with the franchise after Portland selected him sixth overall in the 2012 draft, and he said the familiarity showed the moment he was back in uniform.
"I played here a lot of years, and I think people know how I operate. They know what I bring.
They know the care that I put into it, and they know that I’m going to show up. ... I can feel that appreciation."
Portland traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, but he returned in July 2025 on a three-year, $42-million deal while working his way back from a ruptured Achilles that cost him all of last season. On Wednesday, he looked comfortable right away, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes.
"I felt like myself," Lillard told NBA TV. "I felt like I was just playing another game."
The game also gave Portland its first look at Lillard alongside Ja Morant, the team’s headline offseason addition. Morant arrived from the Memphis Grizzlies in June in a deal that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis, and the new backcourt pairing took the floor together for the first time against Golden State.
Lillard liked what he saw.
"He's a willing passer, a natural playmaker, and he can get to his spots on the court," Lillard said of Morant. "When you've got somebody with that type of ability, as crafty as he is, you know that they're gonna be able to make plays and create easy opportunities for me."
Morant finished with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting and five assists.
Lillard also had praise for the way Morant has carried himself since arriving in Portland.
"I feel like (Morant) has a lot of joy right now," Lillard told The Athletic's Jason Quick. "I read people well, you know?
And I can tell he is not pretending to be happy, you know? He walks around with a smile.
And when we practice, and he’s talking, he’s engaged, he’s invested, and you are able to see that he’s happy with his situation."
In Other News...
Yang Hansen Still Has One Big Hurdle In Portlands Rotation
Yang Hansens first year with the Trail Blazers left him still searching for a foothold in the rotation, a familiar place for a young big man trying to earn trust in the frontcourt. The 16th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft flashed enough promise to stay on the radar, but his role heading into the 2026-27 season is still very much unsettled as Portland sorts through its depth inside.
A recent preseason outing offered another small step without changing the larger picture, and that is where the intrigue sits for the Blazers. Hansens development will matter, but so will the competition for minutes around him, and Portlands willingness to carve out a real role for him may depend on how quickly he can separate himself in a crowded front line. [Read more 🡒]