Damian Lillard Returns To Rip City And Yang Hansen’s Run At Summer League On The Brief Case, Ep. 163

Damian Lillard Returns To Rip City And Yang Hansen’s Run At Summer League On The Brief Case, Ep. 163

[Music] I’m getting [Music] done with you. Yep. Yep. This is Jeremy Grant and you’re listening to the briefcase with Casey Hodall. Greetings, pleasure fans, and welcome to the briefcase presented by Sparemount Casino. Episode 163 of The Briefcase presented by Sparemount Casino. I am Casey Holdall and Damen Lillard has returned to Portland as you certainly well know by now, but it is now official. Damen Lillard signing as a free agent with the Portland Trailblazers after being waved by the Milwaukee Bucks or at least a few weeks after being waved by the Milwaukee Bucks. News broke a few days ago. Obviously, we usually typically need to wait until it becomes official here on trailblazers.com to talk about things, but now that it is, we can. Very happy to have Dame back. gonna talk about game returning to Portland and kind of the the idea around it. And it’s really about the basketball. It’s not necessarily about running back old times or nostalgia or anything like that. It is a smart basketball move that the Portland Trailblers just made as they continue to build out their roster to get to the ultimate goal that this team has for themselves. We’ll talk about that and we’ll talk about Yong Hansen’s run at the Las Vegas Summer League, which is now over on this edition of the Briefcase presented by Spiritmount Casino. I’d say at this point in time, it’s been a pretty good off seasonason in Rip City. I think between the the play of of Young Hansen, the trade to acquire Drew Holiday, and now Damen Lillard making his return to Portland as a free agent, a lot of things for fans in Portland to be excited about. And obviously just the the improvement that the team has made throughout the last couple seasons. A lot of reasons for optimism in Portland and the addition of Damen Lillard to this roster. Absolutely one of those reasons. Granted, as Dame rehabs his Achilles, very unlikely, I think that he plays next season, but getting Damen Lillard on reportedly a basically mid-level for reportedly three years. I think the last year player option and I believe he has a no trade clause as well. At least that’s what’s been reported, which makes a lot of sense. A very smart deal I feel like for the Trailblazers. A very smart deal for Damen and a way to bring in a very talented player who still has a lot left in the tank with a bit of a of a long runway obviously cuz as I mentioned the Achilles I mean I guess there’s always a possibility he plays towards the end of of the 202526 season. I think that’s probably a little unlikely particularly with kind of the way things went at the end of the season for Dame. You know, who’s to say how that ends up playing out? But either way, to add a player of Dame’s talent, put aside the the obviously how important he is in Portland’s community, to to have a player as talented as Dame with his skill set, joining this team that is already really starting to make strides in terms of their competitiveness and and the build and the the kind of the ethos of the team and the and the culture they’re building under Joe Cronin and Chanty Bilips. To add a guy like Dame to that mix, I I think makes a ton of basketball sense. I think it’s it’s a great move for Dame. It’s a great move for the Trailblazers, and I know the fans are excited about it as well, as you should be. So, let’s go ahead and just get to the press release. Ninetime All-Star selection and a seventime AllNBA selection. Dame L returns to Portland where he spent his first 11 seasons of a storyried career after being named an all-star during each of his two seasons in Milwaukee, appearing in 131 games, all starts, and averaging 24.6 six points, seven assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 35 minutes per game. Again, that’s what Dame averaged in Milwaukee. And it kind of feels like there’s this notion that like Dame’s time in Milwaukee, I mean, I don’t think it turned out as well as anyone would have liked. Um, obviously, they didn’t they weren’t able to kind of put it together, guys being injured at the wrong time, but like his actual numbers that he put up, what I just mentioned there, 44% shooting from the field, 37% shooting from three, 25.2 2 points per game, nearly seven assists, 4.2 rebounds, and a steal in 36 minutes. Those are great numbers for any starting point guard in the NBA. And so to add a guy like that to Portland’s roster, again, it’s going to be another season from now, or at least a while from now before Dane plays. But to add a player of that caliber, of that talent to this roster, I think again is a is a very smart move. Among the all-time franchise leaders, Lillard ranks first in points at 19,376 points per game. Also at points per game at 25.2 points per game. Three-pointers made 2387. Free throws made 4,427 and free throw percentage at 85.9%. He’s second in field goals made at 6,281 and assists at 5,151. Third in games played at 769 games and minutes per game at 36.3 minutes per game. Fourth in assists per game at 6.7 per game. and six in triple doubles, three which he’s tied with multiple players and steals, 732 steals for Damon. He will now be able to add to those totals to round out his Trailblazers career and potentially even his NBA career. I would not at all be surprised if Dame’s run with Portland is kind of how he how he goes off into the end of his career. Though again, who’s to say how things play, I think the way that Dame plays is the style of play that could go well on into uh into the future. But either way, a fantastic thing to get Damen Lillard back on this team. Obviously, I think, you know, a lot of reasons why why both sides decided to go in a different direction and I think both valid reasons, but I also think too now both teams or the team and Dame both in a place where that reunion, I think, makes a lot of sense for for both sides for for multiple different reasons. You know, this is where, you know, Dame made his name. This is where his his story started. And I’m not saying this is where his story will end, but at least he gets to continue that story on now in Portland. Um, and again, it’s exciting time, too, because like it’s not, again, it’s not about like, well, we’re getting Dame back and now we’re going to we’re going to run it back and and kind of do the same things we did under Dame. What’s great about it is now the team that Dame is joining is one of the better teams, if not the best trailblazer team that Dame will have ever been on. And so I think, you know, I I think a lot of the lament for for fans and I think probably for the organization as well was that, you know, we had this great player in Damen Lillard and, you know, with what we were able to put together had a lot of success, but just not the level of success that we hoped we could have had with a caliber of player like Dame. Now you get to add his caliber of player back into the fold with a roster that is very well built out, has very well constructed. Chanty and Joe have done a fantastic job of getting this team to to where they want it. And I think obviously Joe’s staff as well. You know, there’s been a lot of talk about, you know, the trade that sent Dame to Milwaukee and what the Blaze and now the Dame has come back from Milwaukee kind of that whole entire transaction really being one of the better NBA transactions that you’re going to see. Yeah, I think maybe even Brian Windhorse mentioned that it’s one of the the interesting or maybe one of the best kind of two-year transaction periods for a for a player or at least for kind of one long transaction as he’s ever seen. And so, you know, I think there’s a lot of reasons to to be optimistic about that. And, you know, some of those have to do with just kind of the the community element and how important Dame is to this community and the place that he holds in Rip City. But, you know, the I think the overarching part of it is really about the basketball piece and and what Dame can do to help this team both on the court and in the locker room and from a leadership perspective and from a a mentorship perspective. I I think those are obviously really good things. You know, this is about a team going forward. You know, this is not about looking back and kind of reminiscing about the great times we had with Dame. And we’re definitely will do some of that. And there’s no reason to to not be very excited and happy about kind of the way that Dame’s career in Portland played out the first iteration, but this is really about kind of going forward and what it’s going to mean for this team going forward. And I think for Dame that it’s the same way. It’s like it if this team was kind of in the same place it was when Dame left, I don’t think he’s coming back here. Like I I think it that probably would be a different decision for him. But but seeing how much strides this team has made and the way that the team has been built and what what Joe and his staff have been able to do in terms of of adding talent and really kind of balancing the roster. I think there’s a whole lot of reasons to be really excited about what Damen Lillard does for this team. And again, it’s it’s and some of that is about kind of like having Dame back and how much, you know, again, he’s a part of the community and how important he is to to the people in this community. But the the bigger part of it is just about the actual basketball piece and how important that is to have a caliber of Damen Lillard’s play added to a team that is already really starting to to to mature and get better as the years have gone on and as the season’s going to have gone on. And last season, I think we saw this team really make some some significant strides. And I think you’re you’re going to see that again this upcoming season. and then you’re going to be able to add a guy like Damian Lillard to the fold who once he’s able to play obviously makes you a much better team. But I think, you know, the way that he’s going to be able to to work with these young guys and provide leadership along with guys like Drew Holidayiday, along with guys like Denny Odia, you know, I I think that that that’s something that, you know, I think Chanty kind of has talked about having a young team and and needing there to be kind of leaders on the team because you can only do so much as a coach. you really have to have the guys in the locker room and on the floor that that are kind of leading that discussion. And now you have a bunch of guys on this team that can do that and who are at varying points in their in their careers and have had varying degrees of success in their careers. And so to add a guy like Dame to that calculation, I think just again take out kind of the Damen Lillard and and the place he inhabits in this community piece, that’s just really smart basketball. It’s great for your locker room. It’s great for the team. And I think that that’s that’s what both the organization and Dame are seeing is not like the idea like we’re we’re getting the old band back together to to do a Greatest Hits tour. You know, we’re we’re putting together a team and adding a very good player to this team that’s going to make us better than what we were the first time around. And I think that’s a real reason for excitement here in Portland. So really all the way around just a a really smart deal. Again, I think for everyone involved. I mean, you add a player who is very talented. You add a player who has shown himself to be one of the NBA’s great leaders to a team that already has leadership on it as well. So, it’s not like it’s like one guy who’s kind of saying things and and kind of running the show. You have a broad group now of of guys who in that locker room have had success and and know what it takes to be successful in the NBA. So, you add a guy in Dame to that. Obviously, the the way he plays is something any team could use. and you know the the clutch gene that that Dame has and is something that you know very few players can boast and I think you add that to your team and that’s a that’s a very good thing obviously you know having the the range to to pull defenses away from the basket is incredibly important um and I think as we’ve seen like the the players that the Blazers have now from from Denny to Tummani you know to Shaden to Scoot to to Drew you know those guys are all going to benefit from having a guy in Damen Lillard that can really stretch defenses is out. You know, I think, you know, from the community piece as well to to have a guy who knows what Rip City is about and what Portland is about and being able to impart that on his teammates and kind of let them understand what it means to be a Portland Trailblazer, I think is incredibly important. Um, and I think too just, you know, to to have, you know, another guy on your roster you feel very confident can can go out and be a differencemaker for you on a team that you already feel like you’ve got a number of those guys who are stepping into those roles, I again, I think it’s just a it’s an unqualified success. And to be able to do it at a at a price that I think is is very reasonable and not at all what I would have necessarily expected that you would be able to to get Damon Lillard for is I mean again it’s great and again granted you know very unlikely that he plays significant minutes this year if at all but does that really matter going forward that I think that allows the team to to improve this year and maybe even kind of make some of their their own hey and then being able to add Dame to a team that is already getting better and has already kind of gone through some of those battles on their own. And adding a guy into that situation that is an arch competitor and incredibly talented and plays a style of play that that really functions in the NBA and you’ve got also guys on the roster who can, you know, make up for some of the deficiencies that that he might have in his game as well. Like again, I just think it it makes a whole lot of sense for everyone. I think it’s it’s really great that it’s happened. I know that Dame is happy about it. I know the organization is ecstatic about it and it’s been really cool to see the response too. And I mean I know sometimes people are going to focus on kind of the what few little negative responses there have been. I feel like by and large like both nationally and locally just a a a real excitement about Dame returning and again not just because it’s like oh we love Dame and we’re glad he’s going to be back but just understanding that like hey like this team is in a much better space now than they were when Dame left and this team can probably do some things with the addition of Dame Lillard that they would not have been able to do if we weren’t able to sign him. So again, it’s it’s going to be a real fun year and when Damon is is able to get back out there, it’s really going to be exciting. Again, I just think there’s a whole lot of reasons to be optimistic about where the Trailblazers are going right now. It’s like there’s a it seems to me like there’s a real plan and a and a real growth arc that the team is on. And I think you you add, you know, the young talent in Donovan Klingan and Yong Hansen and to to the roster that again you you’ve got a good mix of vets and and young players and guys who are vets and still improving and guys who are vets who, you know, now are maybe have more cause to kind of be out there on a regular basis. I think is again I just think it’s a it’s a really good thing and I’m really excited to see how how it it plays out. But I I think you know initially we’re going to hear from Dame here on Monday as well as from the organization and that’ll be that’ll be cool to kind of just get a lay of the land about their opinions on it and you know I’ve had some conversations as well and you know if again it just seems like everyone is is really on the same page and has realistic expectations and the right motivations. Again, I just keep saying that because, you know, I think maybe from the outside you look at and be like, “Oh, they’re getting Dame back because, you know, he he’s such an important part of of of Portland’s history.” And that is absolutely true. He is an important part of this organization’s history. But again, it’s about basketball and it’s it’s about the arc that this team was already on without Dame and how Dame can help this team get to that next level once he’s able to to rejoin the team and have an impact on the court. he’s already going to have an impact in the locker room. Once he’s able to to do both, I I think you you really start to get excited about what we’re going to see out of these this Trailblazer team going forward. So, a great day, a great week for the Trailblazers, a great offseason thus far for the Trailblazers. I I think there again like as far as kind of what you to go from the draft lottery and being kind of bummed out about kind of where you ended up in the in the lottery and not getting a chance to to get one of those top two or three picks to where we’re at now. I I think you know you feel really good about how this offseason’s played out for the Trailblazers. I I think it’s been an unqualified success again. And to go from from people being like, boy, you know, we lost games and then we didn’t even really get that good of a pick to we got Yon Hansen and some draft capital as well, some future first round picks. Oh, we got Drew Holiday as well, a certified all-star and a and a absolute hall of famer. and then Yong’s play at at Summer League being like, “Boy, maybe this guy is going to be able to contribute sooner than we thought to, oh yeah, and by the way, Damian Liard’s going to come back on a uh on a on a very team friendly deal and he is going to be rejoining the organization, which is great from a onc court perspective and a community perspective. say those are all really good things for for the Portland Trailblazers, really good things for the organization, really good things for the fans, and a lot of reason to just be very excited about what’s next and to be enthusiastic about this upcoming season and just seeing how it comes together, what where where they’ve made the most strides, where there might still need to be things that are addressed. Oh, yeah, and by the way, we’re also going to be able to add Dame to that sooner rather than later. So, congratulations, Rip City. Congratulations to all of us. Way to go, Joe. Way to go, Chanty. Way to go, Dame. Way to go, Dame’s representation. Everyone working together, getting this thing done, figuring it out, put letting bygones be bygones if there were any bygones that needed to be bygon. And now we’re uh we’re back in the saddle. So, a a very good offseason thus far for the Trailblazers. And uh a really good day for Rip City. Well, even though Dame had made his offseason home in Portland anyways, the fact that he’s back now maybe gives him a chance to finally get out to Oregon coast. And on the way to the coast, might as well stop by Spiritmount Casino, where you can get an unforgettable experience at the Spirit Mount Casino Topgolf Swing Suite. Enjoy your favorite virtual games on an immersive big screen now with discounted migday rates. Grab your five friends and book your bay now at Spiritmount Casino on Highway 18 in Grand Rond. Elevate your game. And finally, I’ll do a bit of a wrap-up of the Las Vegas Summer League later on next week once it is completed. But it does sound like Yong Hansen will not play in the Trailblazers fifth and final game at the Las Vegas summer league. So his summer league is over. I was actually a little surprised he played in the fourth game considering how well he’s played. Usually the way it goes at summer league you play two or three games and particularly now with the tournament once your tournament chances are gone, which they were before Portland’s fourth game. At that point in time, a lot of times teams will start sitting players. Um particularly guys who have played well throughout summer league as Hansen has. He did end up playing in that fourth game which I thought was great. had another really good performance in that win for the Trailblazers. Um, but now in that fifth game, the final consolation game for the Trailblazers at the Los Las Vegas Summer League, which is on Saturday, you might actually be watching this right now after that game happens. So, let’s go ahead and get to some of Yong’s stats from the Las Vegas Summer League. Average 10.8 points on 46% shooting from the field, 33% shooting from three, and 88% shooting from the free throw line. also averaged five rebounds, 2.3 blocks, which ranks one, two, three, four, fourth or fifth in in the Las Vegas summer league. 3.8 assists as well in 24.5 minutes. I think all told an incredibly successful summer league for Yang Hansen. I think you saw everything out of Hansen you wanted to see. I I think you know again for those of us which I think is basically 99.9% of the Trailblazer fans out there and those covering the team I should say as well didn’t really know what to expect out of Hansen going into summer league. We we knew what we had heard from the team in between when he was drafted and when summer league practices started but you know you you don’t know exactly what that means until you actually see it on the court. Las Vegas summer league generally not a great place for for big men to go out and show what they can do. But the way that Hansen plays, I I think really allowed him to have success at the summer league. And really just the way he carried himself, he wasn’t ever scared, but he wasn’t ever like boastful. Just that from the way that he played to the way he interacted with his teammates to the way that he dealt with the media throng. And that was actually one of the fun things for myself at summer league is just being introduced to a whole bunch of international media and getting to to kind of talk and and learn about their experiences and what they’re excited about and just bringing different energy to to some of those media availabilities. Just a a really great 2025 Las Vegas summer league for for Hansen up and down on the court, off the court. Saw everything you wanted to see out of him. Obviously a ton of highlights. The passing is ridiculous. Uh, I I think his rebounding improved as the summer league went on as well. I know that was kind of one of the the main issues that people had about Hansen’s numbers were like, why isn’t he rebounding more? And I think when you watch the games, you see that he focuses more on boxing out his man and letting his teammates get the rebound than he is about getting the rebound himself. I think that’s maybe something that as the summer league went on, they were probably like, “Hey, why don’t you just go up and try to get that?” Same way with his finishing. I think they really obviously they love his his ability to to finish with with kind of style and finesse at the rim, but they also want him to be a little more aggressive in that regard as well. We saw more of that as Summer League went on. I think that’s one of the parts too is the coachability. I think we saw out out of Hansen every time there was something they’re like, “Hey, we’d like you to try this.” He went out and was able to do it. And that’s even with a language barrier and with, you know, him probably needing to get up to speed with with some of the the fitness and the speed of NBA games. So just a again I I think all all I know all of my expectations I had for for Hansen going into summer league vastly exceeded I I think I had mentioned on on one of the first summer league editions that I felt like if he just looked like he belonged if he just didn’t look out of place and if he got one or two kind of highlight passes then I would say that is a was a successful summer league for Hansen. He did that in the first quarter of the first game. And so for him to play as well as he did and show what he did and and again like the the way that he carried himself and conducted himself on the court, off the court, with the media, with his teammates, with his his new coaches. I I think just a completely unqualified success of a summer league. One of the better summer leagues I can remember. It remind again it reminds me of Jabari Walker summer league a few years back in which, you know, you you didn’t really have a whole lot of expectations. didn’t really know what to expect. Comes out and looks like one of the best players at summer league. Earned himself a contract. Obviously, Hansen in a little bit of a different situation because he’s a first round pick. But I think, you know, going from I think probably a lot of people thought after he was drafted like, well, this guy’s kind of a project. And, you know, I I think it’s, you know, once you get into the meat of the NBA season, there’s going to be some hard times and there’s going to be some some things he’s going to have to get used to and there’s going to be stumbles and struggles as every rookie is going to encounter. But to go from the expectations I feel like maybe after he got drafted which was like yeah, you know, this guy’s maybe a few years away to the way he played at summer league and being like is this guy going to get is he going to be in the rotation next year because the way that he’s playing right now maybe would lead one to believe that that that is going to be on the horizon. to go from from that extreme to the other, I I think really again for me just just shows how well he performed. And was really just kind of a a delight to to watch and to be around. And I think it again, it just it adds a really interesting dynamic to this team going into next season. And it does sound like he he’s going to play for China at the Asia Cup, which starts I think I think August 4th. So So not long from now in Saudi Arabia. So, a chance to to kind of see how he looks with his national team and and see more minutes for him out there, which is also probably another reason why I mean, he doesn’t need to play more at summer league anyways. But I I’m sure at this point it’s like, hey, this guy has already did a lot of workouts, obviously had had summer league practices, ended up playing four games. He’s going to play some more games with the Chinese national team. Does he really need to play in a fifth and final game at the Las Vegas summer league? And generally, like first round picks don’t play all the games at summer league anyways. And then, you know, you see Derrick Queen get injured in the game versus the Trailblazers having surgery. He’s going to be out for for 12 weeks. I’m not saying that that factored into the Trailblazers decision. It didn’t. But just the notion that like, hey, when you’re a rookie and you kind of show that that you belong and you and you did what you needed to do, you don’t need to spend every last minute playing every single game at the Las Vegas Summer League. Particularly once you get to the fifth and final game, this consolation games, things can get a little bit a little bit funky, a little bit loose. You got guys who are maybe who are playing hard and you don’t want to fault them for playing hard, but who are also maybe playing a little too hard and going a little too hard for a fifth summer league game. Why put a guy in a situation where he could conceivably even have any chance of anything bad happening in a situation like that? So, I think it’s really smart to to to call it a summer league for Young Hansen because he he really did everything you needed him to do and then some at summer league to really feel confident about where he’s going to be at going into training camp for the 202526 season, which is going to be incredibly exciting for this team. You know, a lot of the guys obviously coming back from last year, but but some new additions as well. I think a whole lot of reason for optimism, a whole lot of reasons to be excited about this team going into training camp and into the 202526 season. And that’s going to do it for this edition of the briefcase. Thank you so much for joining me as always. We’ll be back early next week. I’m guessing after Dame is reintroduced at the press conference 6:00 on Monday. We’ll be streaming that on trailblazers.com and on our social channels as well. So be on the lookout for that. Should be a good time. Should be interesting to hear what Dame has to say. Should be interesting to hear what what both Chanty and Joe have to say about Dame’s return. And also maybe we’ll even get to ask him a few questions about Hansen and the way he’s played at summer league as well because I’m sure some of you would really be interested in that as well. Also, shout out to all my new Chinese followers. Follow me on Rednote. We’re putting I’m posting some stuff on there that I don’t post on my Instagram or Twitter account. So, if you if you want some of the goods, check me out on Red Note. I don’t even know what my account is there because I don’t even know half of the stuff that’s going on and I can only read the parts that are translated. But either way, putting some some stuff on there, including clips of this show, which you can also get on the social channels. Also, subscribe to the Trailblazers podcasts wherever get your podcast and on YouTube. That’s going to do it for me. We’ll talk to you very soon. I am Casey Holdall. Go Blazers. Welcome back, Dave. [Music] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [Music]

On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses…

• The Trail Blazers officially signing Damian Lillard as a free agent

• The reasons a reunion makes sense for both the team and Lillard

• The decision for both the team and Lillard being about basketball rather than nostalgia

• The Trail Blazers being in a much better place now than they were when Lillard was traded

• How Lillard helps the Trail Blazers on the court, in the locker room and in the community

• This being one of Portland’s better offseason and cause for optimism in the upcoming season

• Wrapping up Yang Hansen’s four-game run at the Las Vegas Summer League

• Hansen exceeding all pre Summer League expectations and if that changes anything going into the 2025-26 season
𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠 » http://www.instagram.com/trailblazers
𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 » http://www.twitter.com/trailblazers
𝗧𝗜𝗞𝗧𝗢𝗞 » https://www.tiktok.com/@trailblazers
𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 » http://www.facebook.com/trailblazers

🖥️ Visit our website for the latest news, videos, podcasts, photos and more: http://www.trailblazers.com
🎙️ Listen to Trail Blazers podcasts: http://www.trailblazers.com/podcasts
📺 Watch Trail Blazers games on Root Sports https://northwest.rootsports.com/trail-blazers
🏀 Subscribe to NBA League Pass: https://rip.city/LeaguePass
📲 Download the Trail Blazers mobile app: https://www.nba.com/blazers/app
🎟️ Buy game tickets: https://www.nba.com/blazers/single-game-tickets?utm_source=youtube
👕 Rip City Clothing : https://ripcityclothing.com/