Joe Paige | Sports Editor
After a stare down between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat would fizzle out, Portland finally decided on a landing spot for their franchise star Damian Lillard. Although many suspected he’d end up in Miami, very few anticipated this new destination that he’ll be taking his talents to.
Announced in a blockbuster deal on Wednesday, star guard Damian Lillard has been traded to the Milwaukee bucks as part of a three-team deal including the Phoenix Suns. The Portland Trail Blazers will receive Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday, and Toumani Camara while the Suns will receive Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Keon Johnson and Nassir Little. Portland’s expected to trade the veteran guard Holiday to another team as Portland is in a rebuilding phase centered around Scoot Henderson, the #3 pick in last years draft.
It’s been heavily suspected that Milwaukee started getting involved in the Dame sweepstakes after Giannis Antetokounmpo, their franchise player’s, recent comments about wanting to be sure that his team would remain aggressive in free agency and keep the team in championship contention. This move, no doubt, gives Giannis that much needed assurance on their dedication to keeping this team elite in the eastern conference. Now, Lillard and Antetokounmpo become one of the most dangerous duos in the league. Giannis is a player who commands as much attention in the paint as anyone in the league and constantly draws double and triple-teams when driving. This is now a dynamic Bucks squad that certainly poses as a challenge if they can stay healthy for the post season.
Portland, meanwhile, finally moves on from Damian Lillard, after spending over a decade with the all-star guard as their franchise player. In 11 seasons, Dame has brought his Blazers teams to the playoffs eight times, although they would never manage to make it beyond the Western Conference Finals. After two years in a row finding themselves stuck in the lottery, it was finally time for the two to split up. Portland will now rebuild around Scoot Henderson and Deandre Ayton, while Lillard begins the next phase of his career, hoping to finally get a ring in Milwaukee.