After a sensational trade from Portland, Damian Lillard will join the Milwaukee Bucks, where he will play alongside two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Less than a month before the start of the season, ESPN was one of several media sites to announce the three-team transaction.
Lillard, who has played his entire 11-year NBA career in Portland but asked to be traded in July, was reportedly being traded to Milwaukee in a three-team deal that also included the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN and The Athletic.
The 2013 Rookie of the Year and seven-time All-Star Lillard announced the change on the X social media site.
Jrue Holiday, an All-Star point guard, and future lottery selections are going to Portland from the Bucks. Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara from the Suns are also acquired by the Trail Blazers, while Grayson Allen from the Bucks and Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson from Portland are acquired by the Suns.
Lillard had a career-high scoring average of 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, and a 46.3% field goal percentage across 58 games last year.
However, Portland missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year with a record of 33-49.
His decision to join the Milwaukee Bucks largely answers Antetokounmpo’s recent request for the Bucks to continue to be a top Eastern Conference contender.
In 2021, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the NBA championship. The Miami Heat, who were supposedly Lillard’s top trade target, shocked them in the first round of the playoffs despite having the best record in the league previous year (58-24).
When he said he wouldn’t sign a contract extension unless he was satisfied the franchise was committed to keeping a championship-caliber roster, Antetokounmpo increased the heat on Milwaukee management last month.
In an interview with the New York Times, he said, “I wouldn’t be the greatest version of myself if I didn’t know that everyone’s on the same page, everyone’s striving for a championship, and everybody’s willing to sacrifice time away from their families as I do. And I won’t sign if I don’t feel that way.
The Trail Blazers will visit the Bucks on November 26 and the Bucks will play at Portland on January 31 of this year.
Lillard will meet up with Terry Stotts, the former Blazers head coach who joined the coaching staff of the Bucks in June, once again in Milwaukee.
Stotts works for Adrian Griffin, the new head coach who took over for Mike Budenholzer following the team’s sudden playoff elimination.