Damian Lillard recently signed a contract to return to the Trail Blazers and sports columnist Wade Evanson doesn't understand how you can see such as anything but a win. (Staff Photo/Portland Tribune)

Now is not the time for a measured response.

Damian Lillard is again a Trail Blazer, and while pragmatists in and around Rip City are looking for reasons for skepticism regarding Dame’s return, I’m embracing the romance of the deal that brought the franchise and city’s basketball bestie back where he belongs.

I predicted this roughly two months ago after Lillard tore his achilles in a playoff game versus Indiana. Well, I at the least suggested as much as part of a column I wrote detailing the moves necessary to make such happen.

Since, Oklahoma City won the NBA championship; the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the league’s MVP; and the Milwaukee Bucks did Dame a solid by cutting ties with the perennial all-star in the interests of moving beyond what turned out to be a match made somewhere much further south of heaven.

But the Bucks’ loss was our gain, and any thought otherwise is nothing more than a dullard’s attempt at raining on the only parade Blazer fans have seen since winning the NBA championship nearly 50 years ago.

True, it’s not easy to see how this is going to benefit the team on the court, and/or the franchise’s endeavor to rebuild in the interests of a future championship run. But sometimes, albeit infrequently, it doesn’t have to be about winning to in fact be a win, and this is one of those times.

Losing Lillard was a hard pill to swallow for fans of the team, and his return was one of the few gifts those same fans have found under their NBA tree in recent years.

The Blazers have been dreadful for the last four seasons, averaging less than 30 wins per campaign and having failed to make the playoffs every year since 2020-21, where they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

Yes, last year appeared to be a step in the right direction as the team established an intriguing core of young talent with players like Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan, and proved as much with a 23-18 record to close last season. But on the cusp of greatness they’re not, and in lieu of what would amount to hope on the court, why not offer some level of such off of it?

This past week, the world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler, won his fourth major championship at the Open Championship in Northern Ireland. That was a big deal in the world of golf, but days prior to the event the world number one made seismic waves when in a press conference he professed that winning wasn’t his greatest motivating source.

“​​This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler said. “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.” He added that, if anything, it bothers him that he cares so much about golf. “Faith and family are far, far more important.”

That didn’t nor does mean Scheffler isn’t about winning, but rather that there’s more to life than doing so.

That doesn’t make him soft or lacking a competitive spirit, but suggests proper perspective when it comes to the bigger picture.

That’s how I feel about what Dame and the Blazers organization made happen this past week. It was less about winning and more about both parties doing what just felt right. Lillard got to return home, and the franchise he’s always called home got to make that happen for the all-star guard and the fans that came to love him.

Now, if you’re like one of the aforementioned dullards who’s looking for the basketball upside from the deal, consider this: Lillard is making $14 million per year opposed to $50-plus; he’ll be an invaluable asset to the young guards as he continues to rehab his injury this coming season; and upon his return either late next season or to begin the 2026-27 campaign and with the perspective of his life away from Portland, will be an adaptable and over qualified contributor to a team looking for a piece rather than a peak-performer.

And worst case, if he and the team aren’t working, his limited salary makes him a tradable piece down the road  if he’d like to get to a contender and the team sought something in return.

But personally, I don’t care about any of that.

Not now.

For Lillard’s return is less about winning, fit or return on investment, but rather about doing right by the player and his fans.

That may not be smart, but it is pretty cool – and that’s enough for me.