Damian Lillard traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
The Trade
Damian Lillard has been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a 3-team deal that included the Phoenix Suns and Lillard’s former team the Portland Trail Blazers. The star guard has been with the Blazers for 11 seasons since being drafted. He evidently requested a trade in July of this year.
Portland acquired Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee), Deandre Ayton (Phoenix), and an unprotected first round pick in 2029. In addition, Portland added two swap rights in 2028 and 2030. There is speculation that Holiday could be dealt to another team later.
Phoenix landed a good big man Jusuf Nurkic (Portland) and a 3 & D guard Grayson Allen (Milwaukee), along with defensive minded Nassir Little and prospect Keon Johnson (both from Portland). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the trade.
Damian Lillard’s immediate impact
The Milwaukee Bucks essentially swapped Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. With all due respect to Jrue’s defensive prowess, he is no Dame. The NBA star (who is also good at rapping) from Weber State by way of Oakland, California is a clutch scorer with unlimited 3-point range. He joins a team with former 2-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in his prime and very capable scorer Khris Middleton. On the surface, the current Bucks should be in NBA title conversations at the very least.
Also, Damian Lillard has tweeted in the past that he wanted to play with Giannis.
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Portland’s outlook
For Portland, they drafted athletic guard Scoot Henderson with the second overall pick this year. The Blazers were bound to move on from Lillard who has never been able to reach the NBA Finals despite being the franchise cornerstone for a decade.
The Blazers also acquired former Suns first overall pick Deandre Ayton who never seemed to mesh in Phoenix. Nurkic was injured a lot the last few seasons and while Ayton is not the same defender, he adds fresh blood and potential as a long time center.
The Phoenix side
The Suns owner has been vocal about making moves to win immediately. Adding to their depth with Nasir Little and Grayson Allen, and swapping Deandre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic seems like a steal. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal could not do it alone.
Which team benefits the most?
Are NBA fans sure that Damian Lillard automatically makes the Bucks the title favorites? The East still has the Boston Celtics and the reigning conference champion Miami Heat. In the West, there are the Lakers, Suns, and the reigning league champions the Denver Nuggets.
If the Bucks don’t win a title in the next two years, the trade could be viewed as a failure.
At first, the Suns should benefit the most. Next season, the Bucks could win. In time, the winner here is the Portland Trail Blazers. Some teams are playing chess, others checkers.
What about Miami?
Surprisingly, Pat Riley did not land Damian Lillard after many insiders thought that he would. The Miami Heat’s best player Jimmy Butler already posted his reaction to the news.
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