Blazers are prepared to pay Lillard the maximum amount and make him their designated player, according to ESPN. Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
The Portland Trail Blazers and All-Star guard Damian Lillard are nearing a maximum five-year contract extension.
The extension is expected to top $120 million in value, according to ESPN.com.
Lillard, 24, averaged a career-high 21 points per game last season. He also averaged 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds while playing in all 82 regular-season games.
Lillard, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State, is set to make $4.2 million next season, part of his original four-year rookie deal.
First-round picks from the 2012 draft are eligible to negotiate contract extensions now through Oct. 31. Players can’t be formally signed until July 9.
The exact figures of the extension will depend on how much the NBA salary cap rises in 2016, but the Blazers are prepared to pay Lillard the maximum amount and make him their designated player, according to ESPN.
