Damian Lillard sent to Bucks in blockbuster deal
In the past few seasons, ever since forward Kevin Durant departed from the Golden State Warriors, the National Basketball Association (NBA) landscape has been mostly balanced—until now. After requesting a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers what felt like ages ago, star point guard Damian Lillard, the seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA honoree, and 2012 Rookie of the Year, has now been dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rumors of the possible destination had been discussed for months, and it had been well documented that Lillard’s preference was to be dealt to the Miami Heat. There were talks between the Heat and Trailblazers, but Portland asking for an unreasonable amount in return ended the considerations.
As a result, Lillard ended up in Milwaukee in a three-team trade between the Bucks, Trail Blazers, and Phoenix Suns. Milwaukee received guard Damian Lillard while Portland received guard Jrue Holiday, center Deandre Ayton, and forward Toumani Camara, along with Milwaukee’s 2029 first-round pick and 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swaps. Phoenix received center Jusuf Nurkic, guards Grayson Allen and Keon Johnson, and forward Nassir Little in the deal.
There is a lot to analyze with this trade, but the obvious winner of the deal right now is Milwaukee, who looks more poised than ever to return to the NBA Finals. The Bucks did have to say goodbye to long-term defensive staple Holiday, as he was dealt to Portland before almost immediately traded to the Boston Celtics for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams. Holiday is a huge addition to the Celtics who are also looking to make another title run.
The sad thing about this trade is that the NBA, after a great couple of years of very competitive basketball, is now unbalanced with the return of another “super team''. Last year's playoffs were great because of the unpredictability with lower seeds like the eighth-seeded Miami Heat and seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers both going on deep runs in the tournament. But now, with this recent blockbuster deal, that all goes out the window.
The two obvious front-runners now in the east are the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. In the Western Conference, the leaders are the Phoenix Suns and the reigning Finals champion Denver Nuggets. Things may still happen as there is time before the season starts, but this year of basketball should be interesting.
Damian Lillard has long been a fan-favorite, and his loyalty shown through his attempts to bring a title to Portland was admirable. It was painful to see him go to the Bucks, a team already possessing some top players in the league.
Everyone is quick to praise forward Giannis Antentokounmpo as one of the best in the league, but his inability to shoot the ball makes him a liability at times. Giannis is a great person and representative of the game, but despite his dedication, you still see the holes in his game. Lillard will help take some of the attention away from him and make shots easier for Khris Middleton, as well.
This season will be an action-packed one for the NBA, especially considering the newly-loaded Milwaukee team trying to redeem themselves after collapsing at the hands of an eight-seed in the 2022 playoffs.