Damian Lillard, one of the marquee players in the NBA, shook things up this year when he demanded a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, a move many hoped for but never expected to happen. Lillard was traded on Wednesday (September 27) via a three-team trade, landing him next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The news was
broken by ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski via his typically reliable sources, coming as a shock as other teams such as the Miami Heat were thought to be the top destination in play for Damian Lillard.
In the aftermath of the trade between the Blazers, Bucks, and Phoenix Suns, Portland now has Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milwaukee’s 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030.
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The Blazers’ haul would be seen as good by any measure as Holiday and Ayton are still solid NBA players who will bring veteran leadership to the team with No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson in the backcourt. However, Jrue Holiday might be moved later.
The Suns, which made major moves this year by landing Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards for next to nothing, now have Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson. Nurkic, a serviceable big man, will fill the slot formerly helmed by Ayton and Allen is a pesky and scrappy player every NBA team covets.
Lillard, who turned 33 this summer on the back of yet another solid season, issued a brief statement via X (formerly known as Twitter) and also used the medium to share his new track “Farewell” which slightly addresses some behind-the-scenes issues he may have had with the Blazers organization.
“The casuals won’t be addressed but the trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned. Excited for my new chapter,” Lillard wrote while using the X tag for the Bucks.
Check out the track “Farewell” from Damian Lillard aka
Dame D.O.L.L.A. below. Keep scrolling to see reactions from X.
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Photo: Soobum Im / Getty
