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Damian Lillard is joining forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo after a blockbuster trade to the Bucks.
Damian Lillard has finally been traded, and it’s to a destination no one could have seen coming. The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to send the superstar guard to the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster three-team trade that immediately reshapes the NBA championship picture, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal also includes the Phoenix Suns.
The Bucks are getting Lillard. The Blazers are getting Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milawukee’s 2029 unprotected first round pick, and unprotected first round swap rights with the Bucks in 2028 and 2030. The Suns land Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson in the deal.
Wojnarowski reports that the Blazers will look to trade Jrue Holiday this season. Holiday is slated to become a free agent after the upcoming 2023-2024 season:
The Blazers remain engaged elsewhere on deals and will are expected to immediately engage contending teams on trade talks to move on Jrue Holiday, sources tell ESPN. Portland is committed to its young group of talented guards. https://t.co/6IR7bcFVrr
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 27, 2023
Lillard requested a trade to the Miami Heat days after the Trail Blazers selected point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Lillard’s future in Portland had been the subject of speculation for the last several years, but he finally decided he needed a change of scenery coming off consecutive seasons where the team missed the playoffs.
At 33 years old, Lillard is coming off arguably the best season of his career, averaging 32.2 points per game on astounding 64.5 percent true shooting a year ago. He might be the NBA’s best pick-and-roll point guard, and its most dangerous pull-up shooter this side of Stephen Curry.
Lillard is entering a Bucks team that is coming off a devastating first round playoff defeat to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured in the first game of the series, but returned for Milwaukee’s last two losses.
Antetokounmpo spent the offseason hinting that he may request a trade from Milwaukee one day. Now, the Bucks are all-in on trying to get Antetokounmpo another championship.
The Trail Blazers are now fully committed to a rebuild. Portland has a talented young backcourt in place with Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, and now adds a couple intriguing young forwards and some draft picks to their chest of assets. This is a tough day for Portland because Lillard is arguably the best player in franchise history, but they recouped solid value for a player his age with such a lucrative long-term contract. Lillard has four years, $216 million left on his contract.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo is a dream pairing. The Bucks retain Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez in the deal. This trade is also a big move for another title contender in the Suns. Phoenix moves on from center Deandre Ayton, the former No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, to get more depth and more shooting. It will be fascinating to see how Nurkic works as the Suns’ new starting center.
The Bucks may have just become the championship favorites. We’ll update this story as it develops.
