Acquired G Damian Lillard from Portland in a three-team trade with Portland and Phoenix.

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Damian Lillard's contract with the Portland Trail Blazers is graded as a D- CVI. At $36.6M per year, the team is currently paying more than the on-court production warrants — a gap that needs to close for this deal to work out. Damian's on-court production grades out in the upper tier of NBA small forwards, grading him as an elite performer at the position. As a max contract, Damian's salary is capped by the CBA — meaning the CVI reflects whether production justifies the highest possible investment a team can make in a single player. The concern here is the gap between production and cost — the team is paying a premium above the player's on-court value. At 35, the aging curve is the biggest risk factor on this contract — the window for peak production is closing. The 5-year deal is a franchise-level commitment — the team is betting heavily on continued production.