Dame Lillard traded to the Bucks

erikthredd

Wow! Dame & Giannis will make for a formidable pairing. Looks like all of the details aren't hammered out yet.
https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/09/bucks-to-acquire-damian-lillard-in-three-team-trade.html

erikthredd

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1707099044915425442?s=20

thisistheshow

I expect them to be a very tough out, if healthy, come the playoffs.

erikthredd

Milwaukee got him for less than many expected. they gave up their starting backcourt in Jrue & Allen plus 1 pick/2 pick swaps.
Kudos to the Bucks GM, this move might guarantee that Giannis doesn't leave in 2 years.

galaxy27

this is huge

the best part of this trade for me is how it shatters LeBron's miserable dream

plan a) pilfer the Bucks and get me some more chips

plan b) Milwaukee got room for me?

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:
this is huge

the best part of this trade for me is how it shatters LeBron's miserable dream

plan a) pilfer the Bucks and get me some more chips

plan b) Milwaukee got room for me?

Lebron would have bounced to go play with his son by the time Giannis would have been able to leave. IIRC Bronny could enter the draft next offseason where Giannis is a FA in 2 years.

Its funny because last night there were rumors of Boston being in instead of Milwaukee with Phoenix as the 3rd team where they would have had to give up 5 players plus picks. I'd love to see Dame in green here but it would have killed their depth.

I'd rather have seen him get dealt to Miami than Milwaukee though. Even though Milwaukee greatly improved their offense, the defense is going to take a hit. For what they gave up they're a better team but things could go south if Dame gets hurt.
High Risk/High Reward type of move.

craig44

The only thing that gives me pause is Lillards age. He is going into his age 33 season. he is a small player who relies on quickness. The Bucks better win quickly, I think they will have a short window.

erikthredd

@craig44 said:
The only thing that gives me pause is Lillards age. He is going into his age 33 season. he is a small player who relies on quickness. The Bucks better win quickly, I think they will have a short window.

The Bucks window was short anyways regardless of trading for Lillard when Giannis could become a free agent after the 2024-25 season. Milwaukee had no choice but to make some major changes if there would be any hope to keeping him around longterm.

The Bucks (& Celtics) major flaw come playoff time has been not having a closer that could facilitate late in games while being able to knock down big shots with the clock winding down. Dame Lillard fits that mold to a T.

He could go for 50 on any given night and had games last season where he dropped 60 & 71pts. In that 71pt game he also had 6 assists,thats 83pts that he accounted for in one game with a pretty inferior offense around him in Portland.

Now in Milwaukee he's paired with a former MVP/DPOY who just led the team to a title a few seasons back and a team that had the best record that is one of the best defense/rebounding teams in basketball. This was a huge addition for the Milwaukee Bucks.

craig44

good point on the closer aspect.

galaxy27

@erikthredd said:

@galaxy27 said:
this is huge

the best part of this trade for me is how it shatters LeBron's miserable dream

plan a) pilfer the Bucks and get me some more chips

plan b) Milwaukee got room for me?

Lebron would have bounced to go play with his son by the time Giannis would have been able to leave. IIRC Bronny could enter the draft next offseason where Giannis is a FA in 2 years.

was just a dig at LBJ

btw I still think Boston is better after this trade

thisistheshow

The two Jays and KP are about to wreck the league.

craig44

Boston is going to be good

SanctionII

This morning local sports talk radio was discussing a new NBA trade rumor that a trade of Chris Paul for Jrue Holiday is a possibility (with Chris Paul plus one or two younger players and future draft picks being sent by the Warriors in return for getting Jrue Holiday from Portland; and with the teams involved in the trade being GS and Portland, or GS, Portland and Miami).

It would be interesting to see Chris Paul never playing a game for GS.

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:

@erikthredd said:

@galaxy27 said:
this is huge

the best part of this trade for me is how it shatters LeBron's miserable dream

plan a) pilfer the Bucks and get me some more chips

plan b) Milwaukee got room for me?

Lebron would have bounced to go play with his son by the time Giannis would have been able to leave. IIRC Bronny could enter the draft next offseason where Giannis is a FA in 2 years.

was just a dig at LBJ

btw I still think Boston is better after this trade

I do too but we've still got some question marks like the health of Brogdon,Porzingis & Timelord holding up and who replaces the defense lost when Smart & Grant Williams left? Those last two were huge components when trying to stop Giannis in the playoffs.
Most of all is can Tatum keep taking that next step into becoming the closer Boston needs late in playoff games? Also can Derrick White be a better facilitator than Smart was?

I love what this roster looks like but winning a championship will always come down to Tatum & Brown both getting this team over the hump. We'll see. I just want basketball to start already lol.

erikthredd

@SanctionII said:
This morning local sports talk radio was discussing a new NBA trade rumor that a trade of Chris Paul for Jrue Holiday is a possibility (with Chris Paul plus one or two younger players and future draft picks being sent by the Warriors in return for getting Jrue Holiday from Portland; and with the teams involved in the trade being GS and Portland, or GS, Portland and Miami).

It would be interesting to see Chris Paul never playing a game for GS.

There's also rumors of Boston going after Holiday with Brogdon as the main piece going to Portland but whether it was Jrue,CP3 or Brogdon I don't think the Portland wants any of three on their roster. They want to develop their young backcourt in Scoot Henderson & Shaedon Sharpe plus they still have a 21ppg scoring guard in Anfernee Simons.

They could always keep moving these older players to gain additional assets but between Chris Paul's age(38) and Brogdon's health the Blazers may not fond many takers.

I actually want to see what Chris Paul looks like with that older Warriors core. There were also rumors that Dwight Howard was working out with some Dubs players just last week and maybe they try to sign him down the line.

With Curry,Draymond & Klay trying to win one last chip I'm surprised that the team hasn't tried signing a bunch of vet ring chasers to 1yr deals like LA has been doing in recent years. In that covid bubble season it actually worked with LA winning the title.

spacehayduke

As a lifelong Blazer fan, glad the Blazers made the right move. This guy, as good as he is, never won for the Blazers, there was enough talent around him to move up higher in the playoffs, but a couple times, it was Lillard himself that messed up in the early round losses. So it is a love-hate I have going there. If the guy had played within his game and made the players around him better, like Lebron, Curry, Magic, Bird, Walton, etc., then things might have been different. But no, there were cringe worthy moments from Lillard on the floor, and then moments of brilliance. Ain't gonna win that way. I like the consistency and principled approach of Kerr-coached teams, that is why they win. Just wish the Blazers would emulate.

I hope the Bucks truly win a championship with Lillard even though he dissed Blazer management in his going away rap and displayed egotism galore during his request for a trade until now. Hey but PDX paid him several hundred million dollas, go figure.

Let the Scoot era begin! Dude is a gamer, can't do worse than 11 years with Dolla. LOL.

thisistheshow

@spacehayduke said:
As a lifelong Blazer fan, glad the Blazers made the right move. This guy, as good as he is, never won for the Blazers, there was enough talent around him to move up higher in the playoffs, but a couple times, it was Lillard himself that messed up in the early round losses. So it is a love-hate I have going there. If the guy had played within his game and made the players around him better, like Lebron, Curry, Magic, Bird, Walton, etc., then things might have been different. But no, there were cringe worthy moments from Lillard on the floor, and then moments of brilliance. Ain't gonna win that way. I like the consistency and principled approach of Kerr-coached teams, that is why they win. Just wish the Blazers would emulate.

I hope the Bucks truly win a championship with Lillard even though he dissed Blazer management in his going away rap and displayed egotism galore during his request for a trade until now. Hey but PDX paid him several hundred million dollas, go figure.

Let the Scoot era begin! Dude is a gamer, can't do worse than 11 years with Dolla. LOL.

...
I honestly have never not delved into the opinions of Portland fans, so I consider it interesting to be reading yours.

I get the impression that you think he could have done more to make those around him better. Is that accurate?

erikthredd

I get the hate that some Portland fans have for him,Dame deserves it for how he dealt with his exit from the Blazers, but to think that he could have made those around him better,we're not talking about Dame being one of the best facilitators in NBA history.
Let's be real now, Dame is a 6-2 score-first point guard whose had very good assists numbers throughout his career but was also questionable on defense. The best player that Portland paired him with is another small scorer in 6-3 CJ McCollum and after that the Blazers front office never really added much real talent around them.

Just look at their draft history after drafting LIllard.
2013 took McCollum over Giannis,Steven Adams,Rudy Gobert
2014 traded pick for Gerald Wallace who had 2 subpar years in Portland. could have drafted Clint Capela at that spot.
2015 took Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and traded him to the Nets for Mason Plumlee,an adequate center in PO for 3yrs
2016 traded pick for two average players that were both gone within 1yr,missed out on Pascal Siakam,DeJounte Murray
2017 traded two 1sts in draft for Zack Collins,an ok center traded in yr3, missed on JohnCollins, Jarrett Allen,OG Anunoby,Kyle Kuzma & Derrick White
2018 took Anfernee Simons, a 6-1 20ppg scorer last year but still missed out on two good starting Centers in Rob Williams & Mitchell Robinson
2019 took Nassir Little who never developed as expected, missed out on Jordan Poole,Keldon Johnson,Nic Claxton
2020 took Isaiah Stewart then ultimtely traded w/2021 1st for Robert Covington. At the time Covington was a decent 3D guy but PO could have used Beef Stew,someone who brings toughness at the 4
2021 traded year before in Robert Covington deal

Last 2 Blazers drafts should develop into a solid starting backcourt.
2022 Shaedon Sharpe
2023 Scoot Henderson

it just seems ludicrous to blame Damian Lillard for not making the team better when the team's front office clearly whiffed on MANY players in the first round since Dame was drafted including numerous All Star caliber players at the center position. That position has been Portland's achilles heal for years,finding a legit center that can play on both ends.

They did have some bad luck before Dame got there when Greg Oden & Brandon Roy's careers were cut short to injuries and while Portland has never been considered a free agent destination, that just means you have work twice as hard with your scouting for the draft. Portland clearly didn't do that for many years.