Damian Lillard organizes meet-up for his teammates in San Diego

After a whirlwind offseason of change in Portland, only one constant remains: the presence of Damian Lillard.

The Trail Blazers opted to rebuild after losing most of their core players in free agency, but managed to hold onto Lillard by inking the star point guard to a five-year, $125-million contract extension.

Beyond the money, the contract also thrusts Lillard into an undisputed leadership role. General manager Neil Olshey restocked his team with young players, leaving the 25-year-old to lead a young squad. That's a huge change for Lillard, who has played on veteran-heavy teams through his first three years in the league.

Lillard seems to be taking his newfound responsibilities to heart. In an effort to acclimate himself to his new teammates, the All-Star organized a meet-up in San Diego for himself and 11 of his compatriots.

"I thought it would be a good idea so I reached out to all the guys on the team to see who could make it and who was available," Lillard told Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com.

"Eleven guys made it out, the guys who could make it out made it out. We worked out together every morning, we hooped together in the afternoon. I took everybody out to lunch, went to dinner a few times, we went to a Padres game together. Just kind of bonding and putting some work in together, building that foundation, because we’re going to be together."

The trip was intended as a team-bonding exercise, as the Trail Blazers have 12 new faces on the roster this season, with the majority of the players skewing young.