The Milwaukee Bucks made the splash of the off-season, acquiring seven-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team trade on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The Bucks lost Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers as a part of this trade package. Former Bucks’ shooting guard Grayson Allen is also a part of the three-team deal, and is headed to Phoenix to play for the Suns.
As part of the deal, Portland receives the Bucks’ first-round pick in 2029, along with first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. All three picks are unprotected.
Among Lillard’s long list of accomplishments are seven All-Star selections, seven All-NBA honors and a nod as one of the NBA’s 75 greatest players as honored by the league in its 75th anniversary season.
Lillard ranked third in the NBA in points per game (PPG) last year, averaging 32.2 in 58 games.
Bucks General Manager Jon Horst and Team President Peter Feigin expressed their excitement in a joint statement released Wednesday night.
“When you have the rare opportunity to pair one of the premier NBA players with a highly versatile roster that has lofty goals, you go for it,” they shared. “Dame is an exceptionally high-character person whose leadership, experience and clutch play will perfectly complement our deep and multi-faceted roster.”
Trail Blazers’ General Manager Joe Cronin was tasked with the difficult decision of dealing one of the greatest players in his franchise’s history.
“On behalf of the entire Portland Trail Blazers Organization, I want to express my gratitude to Damian for 11 storied years with this franchise and for his loyalty to the Portland community,” said Cronin.
The 33-year-old had spent the entirety of his 11-year career in Portland. He ranks as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, three-point shots made (3P), and PPG. Lillard’s Trail Blazers reached the postseason eight consecutive seasons from 2013-21.
Bucks’ fans showed widespread support of the trade, thrilled at the prospect of a second superstar playing with Giannis.
Michael Carrao, host of The Bucks in Six Podcast, and administrator of a popular Bucks’ social media page, expressed the excitement that most fans feel.
“Lillard immediately becomes the best teammate Giannis has played with,” Carrao said. “He’s a great scorer, shooter and facilitator and will be lethal in pick and rolls with Giannis.”
As much as the Lillard acquisition may fit into the Bucks’ talented roster, the move came at a steep price for the team and the city, and a significant disappointment for Jrue Holiday. Holiday had just expressed his desire to end his career with the Bucks in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday. A day later, Holiday found himself dealt from the team he recently helped lead to a championship.
“We will forever be champions together, and me and my family will forever be grateful and thankful,” Holiday wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. Multiple sources reported Holiday may be traded before playing a game in Portland.
The Bucks hope Lillard’s elite offensive skills can make up for the loss of Holiday, one of the great defensive players in the NBA.
“Losing Holiday and Allen can’t be overlooked, as both of them were key players over the past two to three years,” said Carrao. “Jrue had plenty of clutch moments in the playoffs that helped the Bucks win their first finals in 50 years. Allen started most games he played in and certainly was a valuable role player.”
Bucks fans can get their first look at the team’s newest star on Sunday, Oct. 8, when they take on the Chicago Bulls at the Fiserv Forum.
Header photo: Frenchieinportland, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons