My Thoughts on the Damian Lillard Blockbuster
Earlier this summer, star point guard Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. Yesterday, Lillard got his wish, as Portland sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal that also involved the Phoenix Suns. Let’s take a look at the full trade, as reported by ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Milwaukee Bucks received:
- Damian Lillard
The Portland Trail Blazers received:
- Jrue Holiday
- DeAndre Ayton
- Toumani Camara
- Milwaukee’s unprotected 2029 first-round pick
- Milwaukee’s unprotected 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swap rights
The Phoenix Suns received:
- Jusuf Nurkic
- Nassir Little
- Grayson Allen
- Keon Johnson
Now that we know the official package, here are my thoughts about how this will play out for all three teams.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee got the main piece, adding one of the league’s best three-point shooters and overall players in general. The Bucks can now pair him alongside superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, which will make them one of the best duos in all of basketball. Antetokounmpo expressed frustrations about the future of the team this summer, making it known that he wanted the team to remain in the title hunt. Bringing in a star like Lillard does that, and it could help bring the Bucks another title to go with the crown they won in 2021.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers did the best job they could with trading Lillard. With the team heading in a rebuilding direction, they’ll likely look to flip Jrue Holiday to a contender, with him not fitting the team’s timeline. Besides Holiday, DeAndre Ayton is still young and can be a valuable piece to this Trail Blazers team. Toumani Camara, a second-round pick from this year’s draft, is another young piece Portland can take a chance on. The draft picks they got could also really benefit the franchise down the line.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns decided to get involved in this deal, and it paid off. With most of their depth depleted from previous moves, trading DeAndre Ayton and Toumani Camara could pay off for Phoenix. Slightly downgrading at center with Jusuf Nurkic helped the Suns land Nassir Little, Grayson Allen, and Keon Johnson, who can all contribute off their bench. Like Milwaukee, this move keeps Phoenix in prime contention for a title.
Overall, I think this trade will greatly benefit all three teams. I predict that this will be a huge game-changer for Milwaukee. Who do you think won the trade? It will be interesting to see how it all plays out this year, not just for these three teams, but for the rest of the league as well. Stay tuned for what should be a fun NBA season!
Here is a link from ESPN which inspired me to write this blog: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38505763/sources-blazers-trading-damian-lillard-bucks-3-team-deal
