"Freddie Freeman going back to Braves", "Anthony Rizzo coming back for Cubs" - Fans explain Damian Lillard's return to Trailblazers in MLB terms

After moving to Milwaukee with high expectations in 2023 following 11 great seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, veteran guard Damian Lillard is set to make a return to Rose City. With the Bucks waiving Lillard after he picked up an Achilles injury towards the end of the 2024-25 season, the Trail Blazers took the opportunity to welcome a fan favorite back to his former stomping ground.

As news of the nine-time All-Star's return to Moda Center made it to X on Thursday, popular baseball content page "Talkin' Baseball" asked fans to 'explain the move in MLB terms'.

In the comments, plenty of fans likened Damian Lillard's return to the likes of Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo moving back to the franchises where they became household names.

"Definitely Freeman going back to Atlanta," a fan wrote. "Anthony Rizzo coming back and playing for the cubs," another fan shared.

Other fans, meanwhile, wrote about similar returns for the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Jacob deGrom, Giancarlo Stanton and Bryce Harper.

"Shohei is back in Anaheim!" another fan replied. "Degrom back to the mets," another fan responded. "Giancarlo Stanton makes his return to Miami," a third fan posted. "Harper returning to the nationals is really the only thing that is similar," another fan commented.

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Anthony Rizzo is the most likely to follow in the footsteps of Damian Lillard

Of the six players mentioned in the comments above, five (Freeman, Stanton, Harper, DeGrom and Ohtani) are quite well-established in their current teams at the moment. The only exception is Anthony Rizzo, who still finds himself without a team after the New York Yankees offloaded him this past offseason.

With Damian Lillard also deemed 'surplus to requirements' by the Milwaukee Bucks before his return to Portland, there is a good chance we see Anthony Rizzo follow in Lillard's footsteps in the near future.

Chicago Cubs Victory Celebration - Source: Getty

Before moving to the Yankees, Rizzo spent ten years at Wrigley Field, where he became a fan favorite. With the Cubs well placed to win their first NL Central title since 2020, and also challenge for the World Series, some extra reinforcement in the infield would not be the worst idea in the world.

Additionally, Rizzo, who was a member of the Chicago Cubs team that famously won the World Series in 2016, will bring with him plenty of experience of getting the job done in high-pressure moments in big games.

Edited by Satagni Sikder