Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard
May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting the game winning shot against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center. Reuters

The Portland Trail Blazers have exercised their team option on Damian Lillard assuring his stay with the team through the next two years.

Lillard signed a four-year $13.85 million contract in 2012 and team has picked up the options for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 NBA seasons which will pay the one-time All Star guard roughly $3.4M and $4.26M in those years, respectively.

In just two seasons, Lillard has become a top point guard in the NBA. The 24-year-old averaged 19.9 points on 42.7% field goals shooting and 38.1% three-point field goal shooting. His scoring and all-around game with 3.3 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game is one of the reasons why the Trail Blazers are back in playoff contention in recent years.

Lillard set a franchise record 218 made three-pointers in the 2013-2014 NBA Season.

Lillard was picked sixth overall by Portland in the 2012 NBA Draft after paying for Weber State University in college. He won the 2012 Rookie of the Year. The draft also produced the likes of Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Hornets), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers), Thomas Robinson (Sacramento Kings) and Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors) among other players.

Out of the 2012 batch, only Lillard and Davis have made the NBA All-Star team.

Lillard, along with star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, came up big in the 2013 Western Playoffs. In the first round match-up against rival Houston Rockets, Lillard 25.5 PPG, 6.7 APG and 1.3 SPG. Portland beat Houston in six games and advanced to the next round where they lost to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs.

Watch Lillard’s clutch shot against the Rockets in Game 6 of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs:

(YouTube/NBA)

Portland’s signing of their starting point guard Lillard is just the beginning of a long-term plan to maintain a potent core that will battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. While they already have forward Nicolas Batum locked up until the 2016-2017 season, the Blazers need to work out a deal for Aldridge whose contract expires after the 2014-2015 season.

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