We officially have our first “Woj bomb” of the season. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, the Damian Lillard saga is over, as the all-star guard will not head to South Beach, but join Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Involved in a three-team trade with the Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Phoenix Suns, the Bucks get Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers acquire Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milwaukee’s 2029 first-round pick, and two pick swaps, while Phoenix brings Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.
For Portland, they get younger and obtain more assets, with the first-round pick and pick swaps, but also get a solid veteran defense-minded player in Jrue Holiday. Reports have circled that Portland will look to immediately trade Holiday in the coming days, which solidifies their commitment to their young group of guards. Milwaukee looks more unstoppable than ever, adding Lillard to the star pair in Milwaukee with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton already looking for a second championship. Phoenix adds a lot of depth to their bench with Allen, Little, and Johnson but also replaces Deandre Ayton with Jusuf Nurkic, who now will be the defensive anchor down low.
Lillard requested a trade in July after averaging 32 points and seven assists in 58 games last year. The highlight of his past season was when he scored 71 points in a game on February 26 against the Houston Rockets. For the whole summer, Lillard made it clear the only team he would accept a trade to was the Miami Heat, but the two sides could not agree on a deal. In came the Bucks, trading for the seven-time All-Star and Blazers all-time leading scorer.