Trail Blazers Trade Damian Lillard to Milwaukee Bucks in Blockbuster Deal

Months after asking the only organization he ever played for to trade him, point guard Damian Lillard finally got his wish. There ended up being a surprise caveat, however. The word on the street was that Lillard’s preferred destination was the Miami Heat, but he’s been sent to the Milwaukee Bucks to join Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The blockbuster deal in fact involves a third club, the Phoenix Suns. We’ll get to the details below.

While we’re at it, check out our NBA odds for some early basketball action as the new season approaches. Wouldn’t you know it, the Milwaukee Bucks are now the odds-on favourites to win it all in 2023-2024.

Damian Lillard Join Giannis and the Bucks

The 11-year veteran, who has only played professionally for the Portland Trail Blazers, is now a Milwaukee Buck. Portland has missed the playoffs two seasons in a row and hasn’t resembled a championship-contending squad since 2019 when they reached the Western Conference Final but were swept aside by the Golden State Warriors.

Lillard has a career average of 25.2 points per game, with a career-high of 32.2 coming last season, albeit in only 58 games. In fact, the 33-year-old has missed a lot of playing time in the last two years due to injuries. Still, he has a lot of juice left in the tank and has shot an average of 43.9 per cent during this time in the Pacific Northwest.

He joins a Bucks team that was in many ways desperate to keep former MVP and champion Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. The latter had expressed his desire to remain in Wisconsin but only if the organization showed it had the will to keep being a championship calibre club. That’s certainly the case by adding a player like Lillard.

There are, as one can imagine, many more pieces than just Damian Lillard involved in the deal. Jrue Holiday is off the Portland, Suns big man Deandre Ayton becomes a Blazer as well, and Jusuf Nurkic leaves Portland for Phoenix. The Blazers also get a 2029 first-round draft pick from Milwaukee.

Additionally, Phoenix receives Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.