LaMarcus Aldridge has retired from the NBA for the second time.

"In the words of TB12, you only get one big, emotional retirement... so, on that note...I'm thankful for all the memories, family and friends I made throughout my career," Aldridge tweeted. "It was one hell of a ride and I enjoyed every min!"

Aldridge briefly retired during the 2020-21 season after experiencing an irregular heartbeat while a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Aldridge returned to the Nets and appeared in 47 games last season.

The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard Shaq Harrison to a 10-day contract on Thursday.

The 29-year-old averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 assists for the South Bay Lakers this season.

The Blazers also signed Skylar Mays to a 10-day deal on Wednesday. 

Justise Winslow underwent successful left ankle surgery on Wednesday at Atrium Health Mercy in Charlotte, NC. 

The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson, MD of OrthoCarolina to address joint instability. 

A full recovery is expected. Winslow is anticipated to be ready for the 2023-24 season.    

The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to sign Skylar Mays to a 10-day deal.

Mays has averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 27.6 minutes over 29 games in the G League this season.

Mays appeared in 28 games last season with the Atlanta Hawks.

Damian Lillard has been shut down for the remainder of the season, sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

The Portland Trail Blazers have faded from the play-in picture with a disappointing second half. 

With Lillard out for the season, the Blazers could finish with as low as the fifth pick in the draft. Portland sits on 32 wins along with the Orlando Magic, while the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards each have 33 wins.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier on Tuesday that Lillard and the Blazers will have "serious conversations about what's next" after yet another disappointing season.

Damian Lillard has "essentially" been shut down for the remainder of the season. While Lillard is dealing with a calf injury, the reality of Portland falling out of the Play-In spot is the reason for the decision.

The Blazers have a lottery-protected first round pick that they will retain.

Portland could also entertain the idea of trading Lillard.

"You now have to wonder if Lillard ever steps on the court again for Portland," writes Shams Charania at The Athletic. 

Lillard is due $216 million over the next four seasons and has privately considered the possibility of a trade even though his public statements have demonstrated a desire to win with the Blazers.

"I expect there to be serious conversations about what's next for both sides," adds Charania.

The Portland Trail Blazers have fallen 3.5 games behind in the race for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Having fallen that far behind, with only nine games to play, the Blazers are leaning towards shutting down Damian Lillard for the season.

Lillard is dealing with a calf injury. The Blazers star has also recently talked about how sometimes you have to be smart when your team is no longer competitive in a season.

This is looks like it will be the second consecutive one where Portland misses the playoffs. That's after a run of eight consecutive playoff appearances from 2014 through 2021.

Lillard has appeared in 58 of the Trail Blazers 73 games this season. He's averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game, in his 11th NBA season. 

The Golden State Warriors will not pursue any further action, grievance or review by the NBA for their trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Payton II.

The Warriors considered rescinding their trade for Payton after the Blazers failed to disclose the extent of his injury.

Payton is expected to return from his injury soon.

Chauncey Billups said he doesn't have any fear over losing his job as the Portland Trail Blazers head coach after the team's struggles this season.

“I don’t worry about that, at all. We have our talks and everything, and that will remain between us, but I don’t worry about that at all," said Billups about his relationship with general manager Joe Cronin.

Billups is 58-94 during his time as the Blazers head coach. 

Billups has drawn key endorsements from Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jerami Grant.

A source within the Blazers front office added that there have been no discussions over firing Billups, saying that the idea “hasn’t even crossed our minds.” 

The Portland Trail Blazers could shut Damian Lillard down if they slide out of the play-in picture over the next week or two. The Blazers enter Friday's slate of games 2.5 out of 10th with both the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans ahead of them in 11th and 12th.

"I'll say this: Dame probably has five or six more games left before Portland probably shuts him down for the season," said Chris Haynes on the #ThisLeague Uncut Podcast. "There's no use playing the duration of these games. So look out for that. If these next five, six games, they keep struggling, I will suspect...

"He's going to be okay with that? He's been really fighting the notion of playing for draft picks"

"He's going to have to be okay if they're not in contention to jump in that play-in. At that point, it's probably not worth it. That's why I'm saying these next five, six games, we'll see if they can make some ground. If they don't make any ground, I think that's what's going to happen. If the results are not that good."

Lillard has bounced back from his abdominal surgery with an All-NBA caliber season, but the Blazers continue to struggle to build a contender around him.