Source: James Gilbert / Getty
Damian Lillard’s era as a Portland Trail Blazer has officially come to an end.
In a blockbuster three-team trade that included the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, Lillard’s dream of teaming up with Jimmy Butler in Miami went up in dust.
Instead, Lillard will team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Bucks to make a run at the title.
ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski broke down the trade, revealing that Portland gets Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, the Bucks’ 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030. At the same time, the Suns pick up Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.
33-year-old Lilliard’s time in Portland gained him seven all-star appearances, seven All-NBA awards, and eight playoff berths.
However, in his 11 years, the team found it hard to make it beyond the Western Conference semifinals, with its season typically ending in the first round of the playoffs year after year.
This will be the first time Giannis and Lillard will be paired up with bonafide fellow superstars, and the team-up could prove successful as we wait to see what other trades happen ahead of the NBA season’s tipoff on Oct. 24.
The trade also quells the fire Antetokounmpo lit under Bucks brass about bolstering the team before he considers leaving the franchise with two years left on his contract.
Now that Lillard won’t be going to his preferred destination of Miami under the tutelage of Erik Spoelstra, fans were clamoring for him to break his silence.
Lillard addressed the trade by thanking Portland, but he’s ready to get things started in Milwaukee.
“The casuals won’t be addressed but the trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned Excited for my next chapter! @Bucks” he tweeted.
NBA Twitter is ablaze. See the reactions below.
Damian Lillard Traded to Milwaukee Bucks In Blockbuster Three-Team Deal, NBA Twitter Explodes was originally published on cassiuslife.com
