Catch up quick: Lillard requested a trade in 2023 after it became clear his championship aspirations didn't match with the Blazers' rebuilding timeline. Between the lines: Lillard's ex-wife and children remained in Portland when he was traded to Milwaukie ...

The 35-year-old veteran is finalizing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The contract is expected to include a player option for the 2027-28 season and a no-trade clause.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters Wednesday that while the league prefers the for-sale Portland Trail Blazers new owners keep the team in the Rose City, the city "likely needs a new arena" to do so.

Once upon a time, Nassir Little was one of the top recruits in the country. He went to North Carolina with a lot of fanfare, and he showed enough promise to enter the NBA as a first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers. But six years after that draft, Little is leaving the states. He's heading to Japan.

With the Trail Blazers up for sale and Seattle stymied again by the NBA’s methodical approach to expansion, speculation is gaining in the Pacific Northwest that a Portland outsider --perhaps former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos --could purchase the team and relocate them 175 miles north to be the Supersonics.

Silver was asked about the upcoming sale of the Trail Blazers and whether he wants to see them remain in Portland during his annual NBA Board of Governors press conference in Las Vegas, site of the 2025 Summer League. The estate of Paul G. Allen announced on May 13 that the Blazers were for sale. The process is expected to last into next season.

First-round picks Yang Hansen and Jeremiah Fears will showcase their talents when Portland and New Orleans meet at 10 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver signals that keeping the Trail Blazers in Portland may hinge on one major condition: A brand-new arena.