Who wants to own the Blazers? Damian Lillard?

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How many playing days does Damian Lillard have left in the NBA?

And, why do Oregonians care because he's under contract in Milwaukee with the Bucks? (At least he was until Tuesday.)

Why? Because now is the time for Portland Trail Blazers fans to start making noise about Lillard ending his playing career and beginning his owning career - in the Rip City.

Lillard studded out for Portland for 11 seasons, including some memorable playoff moments that are easily part of any team history highlight moments.

But, then ownership sent him off to Milwaukee in 2023 for ... an option to not pay him the full salary he was owed through the 2026-27 season, which is potentially $113 million. Lillard has a guarantee for the next season, and a player option for the following season. Then Tuesday, the Bucks waived him so they could move forward with finding a replacement for this season and beyond.

Lillard is free to sign with any team now.

With the Blazers being publicly for sale, Lillard would be a great public leader for any ownership group. From player to owner - just ask Tom Brady how that works. Or Alex Rodriguez, Jr., or 'Magic' Johnson.

Lillard still owns an auto dealership in Wilsonville, so he's not just a loved former Blazer, he's a local businessman, which is how teams used to be owned in the less-dramatic times of Uber Capitalism.

As he's coming off an achilles injury, Lillard will not play for much of or potentially any of the upcoming season, so he's basically off the clock for anything but rehab. At age 35, he's still got playing days left, but even with max contracts they would not be as valuable as owning even part of a team that he's been helping become as valuable as it is - potentially $6 million.

His 2026-07 contract is a player option, so he could just opt-out and then move into team ownership with a group of other wealthy individuals - maybe a few other former players. What a move that would be for Lillard and for Portland fans, especially if Lillard can corral Phil Knight into being part of the ownership group.

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