Damian Lillard is a Milwaukee Buck.
After months of rumors that a Lillard trade to the Miami Heat was inevitable, the Bucks seemingly came out of nowhere to acquire the veteran All-Star guard from the Portland Trail Blazers.
The trade could not have come at a better time for Milwaukee, as their superstar Giannis Antetekounmpo has recently discussed wanting to compete for a championship again and that he would be willing to do that elsewhere if the Bucks could not put together a roster that is in the position to win.
Bucks now have one of the most fearsome superstar duos in the league thus putting them in a position to be potentially the best team in the Eastern Conference this upcoming season. Although Milwaukee gave up a very talented player in Jrue Holiday in the deal, they were able to retain Kris Middleton who is another scoring option for the team that takes the pressure off of the two stars.
As for the Blazers side of the deal, this trade has been a long time coming. Following a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2019, the Blazers have been stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. Lillard had expressed for years to the front office that he wanted to compete for a title in Portland but outside of C.J. McCollum and LaMarcus Aldridge early in his career, Lillard has never had much talent to work with to compete in a stacked western conference.
Many around the league believed that the writing was on the wall after Portland selected point guard Scoot Henderson with the second pick in this year’s draft. Scoot plays the same position as Lillard, and this was seen by many as a preparation for Lillard’s departure.
Moving forward, the Blazers are already looking to trade Jrue Holiday for further assets. They also acquired former number-one overall pick Deandre Ayton as part of the three-team trade that involved the Phoenix Suns. Ayton has been rumored to be on the trading block for Phoenix for some time, as he and the front office have had numerous disagreements throughout his tenure in Phoenix. Portland will be a fresh start for Ayton, and it remains to be seen how he performs on another team.
Giannis is the best player that Lillard has been paired up with during his career. This trade was a landmark occasion for NBA fans because it allows Damian Lillard to be in a real position to contend for a championship.
Given how talented the league is right now, a title run for Milwaukee is not guaranteed, as there are many talented teams all gunning for the trophy. However, it would be hard to not place Milwaukee as the clear-cut number-one favorite to make it out of the eastern conference, given their past performance and now overwhelming star power. Milwaukee is predicted to be a force this year throughout the season.