After MONTHS of speculation and rumors, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has FINALLY been traded. I'm not going to lie to you and say that we all saw him going to the Milwaukee Bucks, because no one did. But it was a welcomed surprise nevertheless. After countless seasons of trying to win a championship with the Blazers and failing, Damian Lillard has followed in LaMarcus Aldridge's footsteps by saying he would win a championship in Portland, only to leave when he realized it was impossible.
The trade for Damian Lillard took 3 teams to complete, the Bucks, the Blazers, and the Suns. The full trade goes as follows:
Bucks receive:
- Damian Lillard
Blazers receive:
- Jrue Holiday
- DeAndre Ayton
- Toumani Camara
- 2029 1st-Round Pick
- 2 Pick Swaps
Suns receive:
- Jusuf Nurkic
- Grayson Allen
- Nassir Little
- Keon Johnson
With Damian Lillard joining the Bucks, Milwaukee is now in full Championship contender mode. The loss of Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen will hurt the perimeter defense greatly, but adding Damian Lillard's 30+ points per game will definitely help boost the Bucks in scoring, who finished in 8th place in rankings last year for Team Points per Game.
Looking at the Blazers now, it's safe to say that the team is in full rebuild mode. But that doesn't mean the future isn't bright. Blazers fans have a lot to look forward to this season with star rookie Scoot Henderson being handed the reigns to the team. The Blazers have also added a veteran point guard and former NBA champion in Jrue Holiday, who can mentor Scoot and help him develop into the superstar that Portland fans need. The addition of DeAndre Ayton is also great for Portland as they have a young center who has seen certain levels of playoff success.
Miami seems to be the team missing out this summer, as Damian Lillard had originally wanted to be traded there, but both teams were unsuccessful in achieving a trade. Miami also had hopes to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo once he was available as a free agent, but now with Giannis and Dame paired together in Milwaukee, it seems that Miami will have to pivot and figure something else out for their future.
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