On Wednesday, the Portland Trail Blazers made a significant trade, sending guard Damian Lillard to join Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal that also involved the Phoenix Suns, as announced by the teams.
In this trade, Portland acquires Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milwaukee's 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and the unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030, as detailed in the teams' official statement.
The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, receive Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson as part of the trade package.
It's worth noting that the Blazers are expected to engage in trade discussions with other competitive teams to move Jrue Holiday, according to sources cited by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
This trade follows Damian Lillard's formal request to be traded back in early July, as the Blazers chose to take a patient approach to negotiations. Lillard, who spent 11 seasons with Portland, made seven All-Star and All-NBA teams and led the team to the playoffs eight times, including a Western Conference finals appearance in 2018-19. He holds the top spot in team history for points and 3-pointers and ranks second in assists.
Lillard, now 33, had an outstanding season last year, averaging 32.2 points and 7.3 assists, but was limited to just 58 games, sitting out the final month. One of the highlights of his season was scoring 71 points against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 26.
In response to the trade, Bucks president Peter Feigin and general manager Jon Horst expressed their excitement, stating that they are thrilled to welcome the seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. Lillard's 32.2 points per game is the highest ever by a player who changed teams the following season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Despite Lillard's impressive performance, Portland failed to make the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, a first in his career. The Blazers chose to retain their draft pick after both seasons, including selecting guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 2 overall pick. Lillard's trade request followed shortly after these decisions.
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin expressed his gratitude to Damian Lillard for his 11 remarkable years with the franchise, highlighting Lillard's contributions both on the court and in the community.
With this trade, the Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as the consensus favorites to win the NBA title, with odds of around 4-1 at U.S. sportsbooks. This places them ahead of defending champions Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns, who were previously listed as favorites.