Snubbed star's wild 'tampering' claim as NBA world stunned by ...
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is headed to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he’ll team with two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
ESPN and The Athletic reported that Lillard, who has spent all 11 of his NBA campaigns in Portland but requested a trade in July, is headed to the Bucks as part of a three-team trade deal.
Lillard, who was said to prefer a move to the Miami Heat to pair up with Jimmy Buttler, was part of a swap that also includes the Phoenix Suns.
Portland will receive All-Star point-guard Jrue Holiday and draft picks from the Bucks. The Trail Blazers also land the Suns’ Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara, while the Suns get Grayson Allen from the Bucks and Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson from Portland.
Watch every game of the NBL season with ESPN on Kayo Sports. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly >
Buttler took the news poorly, saying via his Instagram: “Yo NBA man, y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering…
“Y’all didn’t hear it from me, but I heard it from somebody.”
Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points and 7.3 assists and matched a career-best by shooting 46.3 per cent over 58 games last season.
However, Portland finished 33-49 and missed the playoffs for the second season in a row.
His move to Milwaukee – less than a month before the start of the regular season on October 24 – goes a long way to satisfying Antetokounmpo’s recent call to the Bucks to do everything they can to maintain their status as a top Eastern Conference contender.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the NBA title in 2021 and they were the top seeds last season when they were stunned in the first round by the Heat.
Antetokounmpo upped the pressure on Milwaukee management last month when he indicated he wouldn’t sign a contract extension until he was convinced the team was committed to maintaining a championship-caliber team.
“I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do,” he told the New York Times.
“And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
NBA punter Stephen A. Smith described the forthcoming Antetokounmpo and Lillard combination as “lethal”.
“When the game is on the line, you’re not looking for Giannis to come save the day, because there is one thing that Lillard has proven throughout his career is give him the ball while the clock is winding down and ask him to close the deal, that’s his specialty,” Smith told ESPN.
“Giannis no longer has to be worried about that.”
This coming season, the Trail Blazers visit the Bucks on November 26 and the Bucks play in Portland on January 31.
