The old dream of the Western Conference Finals is shattered, and the Achilles tendon injury is difficult to heal: Lillard "Lost leaves return to their roots" How many regrets are hidden?

The most surprising operation in the NBA free market these two days is not who signed the maximum salary, but the man called "Lei Guidance" - Damian Lillard, suddenly announced that he would return to the Trail Blazers with 42 million in three years. As soon as the news came out, the fan circle was in an instant: "Didn't you say you want to compete for the championship team? How did you run back to the tearing city in reconstruction? "

Let's first clarify the timeline. Two weeks ago, in order to sign Miles Turner, the Bucks cut off Lillard with "extended terms" and directly broke his remaining contract of 113 million into five years to pay (22.5 million per year). At that time, everyone felt that the 35-year-old coach who could score 24.9 points per game must be the "hot commodity" in the free market - the Warriors wanted to form "double guns". The Celtics sent Tatum to lobby, and even the Lakers were inquiring secretly. What about the result of

? Lillard changed the Trail Blazers No. 0 jersey on IG, with the caption "RipCity!!!" directly breaking through everyone's predictions.

Ask me to say that this matter has to start with "the first half of life of Guidance". He was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 6th pick in 2012, and he won the Best Rookie in his rookie season. In the next eight years, he led the team to the playoffs eight times, and he became the team's scoring champion (19376 points), three-pointers (2387 points), and even entered the NBA 75th. Those famous scenes of "Lillard Time" - the 0.9-second final defeat in 2014, and sent the Thunder home in a very long three-pointer in 2019, and are still played in the fans' mobile phones.

But in 2023, his "loyalty" was shaken. The Trail Blazers have not made it to the playoffs for two consecutive years. He took the initiative to ask for a deal and went to the Bucks - why? Don’t you just want to realize your dream of winning? In his two years with the Bucks, he averaged 24.6 points and 7 assists per game, scoring 55.3 points with Antetokounmpo, making him the most powerful duo in the league. But fate always likes to joke: Antetokounmpo was injured in the playoffs last year, but this year he was injured. He didn't even touch the floor of the Eastern Conference Finals in the first round of the two years. What's even worse is that this year's playoffs, the Achilles tendon was basically ruined.

How did the Bucks do it at this time? He was cut directly with the "extended clause" - although he had to give him 22.5 million a year, it was obvious that he was giving up the championship lineup and protecting Antetokounmpo. What does Li Tutor feel like? Anyone will be disappointed.

can be turned, and the Trail Blazers handed over an olive branch: 42 million in 3 years, including player options + trade veto in the 2027-28 season. More importantly, this contract contains "sincerity" - Li Gui has to recover from the injury in the 2025-26 season. The Trail Blazers not only did not lower the price, but were also willing to give him three years of guarantee.

Why choose the Trail Blazer? To say that feelings are too empty depends on reality. First, home is in Portland. The roots of his wife and children are all here, and he himself said that "family is the most important thing"; second, the Bucks were too hurt in those two years. Failed to win the championship + a serious injury to the Achilles tendon, he needs a "warm place" to recover slowly; thirdly, the Trail Blazers gave him enough respect. The first time in team history is to give a player the "activity" to him - if you want to fight, you can go away if you don't want to fight, we will never trade you.

Then what is the Trailblazer's goal? I just bought out Ayton and chose Hansen Yang to train Henderson to be the "successor". It is logical that it should be completely rebuilt. But last season they won 36, winning 14 more games than the previous year, with the fourth highest defensive efficiency in the league. They beat the Western Conference powers in the second half and obviously had the ambition of "forwarding the playoffs". When Coach Li comes back, he can directly be a "spiritual leader" - young players need him to lead, game experience needs him to teach, and big hearts at critical moments need him to teach him even more.

There is another detail: When the Bucks cut Lillard, the salary expert calculated the calculations - Li Gui's three-year coaching 42 million yuan in the Trail Blazers, which can deduct 11.6 million yuan (in two years). In other words, Li Gui can earn 143.4 million in the next five years (113 million for the Bucks + 42 million for the Trail Blazers - 11.6 million for the deduction), with an average salary of 28.68 million. This money is not considered a maximum salary, but it is decent enough.

Some people say that this is "let go of the championship dream". I think he saw through it - he has a good chance of winning the championship, and the rest depends on the team's configuration. He has proved that he can still play for two years in the Bucks, but the problem of "strong offense and weak defense" cannot be solved, and he may not be able to succeed if he changes teams. Instead of being a "mercenary" in the championship team, it is better to go back to the mother team to be a "torch inheritor" - pass on the spirit of "Lillard Time" to Henderson and carve the genes of the big heart into the DNA of the Trail Blazers.

Finally, it's heart-to-heart: Li Gui is 35 years old this year, and it takes time to recover from the Achilles tendon injury, but with his self-discipline, he is likely to be able to make a comeback next season at the end of the season. Regardless of whether he can win the championship again, being able to retire in the Trail Blazers jersey is the best interpretation of "loyalty". After all, in this "grouping into the wind", there are really not many superstars who are determined to "go to the end". RipCity's lights are lit up again because of the return of Li Guidance.