In what will be easily the biggest blockbuster trade of the NBA offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks are acquiring seven-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.
ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the news on Wednesday, September 27 that the trade had officially been agreed to by the two teams.
BREAKING: The Portland Trail Blazers are trading guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/FRgQyDVjQG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 27, 2023
Following the breaking news, Wojnarowski added the full details of the move, which is a three-team trade involving the Bucks, Trail Blazers, and Phoenix Suns. The move is sending Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and draft assets to Portland. Meanwhile, the Suns are receiving Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nasir Little, and Keon Johnson.
The trade comes after an offseason-long standstill between Lillard and the Trail Blazers. The superstar point guard formally requested a trade back in July, but reports surfaced that his only preferred destination was the Miami Heat. However, the Trail Blazers seemed unwilling to compromise on a trade with the Heat, who were hoping to avoid having to compete with any other NBA teams to create a bidding war for the star guard.
Just days prior to Lillard's official trade, the Toronto Raptors had reportedly emerged as the frontunners to land Lillard's services. Instead, the former Trail Blazers star will be heading to a different Eastern Conference team and joining forces with fellow superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lillard has been one of the biggest names in the modern NBA to play without winning an NBA championship. The 33-year-old was drafted by the Trail Blazers back in 2012 with the sixth overall pick, and while he has had huge playoff moments, he has never been able to secure a ring of his own.
Now, with the help of one of the NBA's brightest stars in the Greek Freak, Lillard could help take the Bucks to the next level as they look to dominate the rest of the Eastern Conference.
