Report: Damian Lillard trade to Bucks in three-team blockbuster originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Damian Lillard is finally getting traded out of Portland, but he will not be joining the Miami Heat.
Instead, Lillard has been dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal that also involves the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Wednesday, citing sources.
Here is what each team involved in the trade is getting, per Wojnarowski:
The deal ends nearly three months of speculation after Lillard initially requested a trade from the rebuilding Blazers.
While the Heat were the rumored frontrunner to land Lillard, he now ends up with another Eastern Conference contender, joining two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star Khris Middleton to form a dynamic trio.
With Lillard leaving Portland after 11 seasons, that leaves the Warriors’ core of Steph Curry (entering 15th season), Klay Thompson (entering 13th season) and Draymond Green (entering 12th season) as the three longest-tenured NBA players.
As for the Suns, they move on from Ayton, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick and bring in Nurkic, a veteran big man who fits their win-now mindset. Phoenix also added solid depth pieces in Allen and Little
Ayton joins the Blazers’ rebuild, which is centered around 2023 No. 2 overall draft pick Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons. Portland also could try to flip Holiday for more future assets or young players to put around Henderson, Simons and Ayton.
