NEWSLETTER
Shocking move in the NBA today! Despite reports and confirmation from Damian Lillard himself that he only wanted to be traded to Miami, the Portland Trail Blazers have sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster deal.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Lillard will go to Milwaukee in a multi-team deal with Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected MIL 1st, and unprotected MIL swap rights in 2028 and 2030 to Blazers. Phoenix will receive Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson. Just an absolutely massive deal.
The Bucks are sending to Portland their 2029 first-round pick and draft swaps in 2028 and 2030, sources said. https://t.co/Nu5jIiKB0Q
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 27, 2023
Lillard demanded a trade from Portland following the NBA Draft this spring when the Blazers used their 3rd overall pick on top point guard prospect Scoot Henderson. The 33-year-old guard had said he wanted to win with Portland but wasn’t interested in a rebuild.
The news comes after tons of speculation around Lillard in the past week. The Toronto Raptors were rumored to arguably be the “frontrunners” in the race to land the All-NBA point guard. The Chicago Bulls were also mentioned as a team looking to get involved, with Zach LaVine’s name being thrown around in trade rumors.
The idea of Lillard ending up in Chicago always felt far-fetched, but so did the idea of him ending up next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Front office leadership clearly heard what Giannis Antetokounmpo had to say about his future in Milwaukee this offseason, and they’ve now done their best to ensure he stays with their organization for the long haul.
The Chicago Bulls will tip-off their preseason against the new-look superstar Bucks on Oct. 8. They’ll also play Milwaukee three times over their first 25 games of the season.
