Lillard wants out; The Bucks want another title
The throws of NBA free agency have mostly settled. Now so much of the focus on player and roster development will switch to what is the “icky” part of professional sports: players refusing to play unless they get traded. And who wouldn’t want a 32 point per game scorer?
Damian Lillard wants out and many, many NBA insiders are working to find trades that make sense. Acquiring such an amazing scorer who routinely scores over 50 a game would help the Bucks go for a second title with all-world superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Plus, it seems like Lillard would really like to be able to play with Giannis.
Lillard has been lauded and praised for his dedication to the Trailblazer franchise. But now he really wants out. The soap opera-esque drama has even gotten to the point where it has been rumored (and confirmed) that Lillard’s agent is trying to make sure he gets traded to the one team he really wants to play for. In conversations Lillard’s agent has said, “You don’t want to trade for a sad player. He won’t be happy with you.”
Related: Damian Lillard has been a Bucks fan on Twitter
Fans of the Bucks then could continue to hold out hope that it is, in fact Milwaukee and playing with Giannis, that will be the one thing that makes him “happy”.
The Basic Structure of the Deal
A Lillard trade is more simple than one might think. Simply put for most teams is has to involve a third team and it requires three big contracts to get moved around.
Basically this deal would look like this: Damian Lillard to the Bucks, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Grayson Allen to Portland with picks from Milwaukee and Dallas. Middleton would get sent to Dallas.
So much of this makes sense if, in fact, Middleton would want to be paired with Luka Donic and Kyrie Irving. Anything can happen with Dallas’s often irreverent owner Mark Cuban. Middleton has gotten his extra 100 million. Now, maybe he’ll move on.
In this deal it has to be assumed that Lillard does want to go to Milwaukee.
By moving off of Davis Bertans 17 million dollar deal and Tim Hardaway Jr’s 17 million dollar deal the Mavericks can make that 34 million dollar salary slot they would need to be the third team.
Of course many Bucks fans are excited the team is looking to “run it back”. The team has recently re-signed Middleton, Brook Lopez and even has brought in Brook’s twin brother, Robin.
Even our writer’s here are not so convinced this would be the best move for the team. (Please see the related link below.)
Related: The Milwaukee Bucks Will Not Trade for Damian Lillard
The rumor mill continues to swirl around Dame Lillard, arguably one of the top ten players in the NBA, and where he might end up. It appears the Trail Blazers are about ready to go through a full-rebuild. Milwaukee is still wondering, “what in the world happened to our season?” Pairing Giannis and Dame together is a Bucks fan’s dream.
Both Lillard and Giannis have been able to “flirt” a little through social media. And grabbing Giannis, pairing him with Lillard and Jrue Holiday makes this team instantly better.
But to revisit that original premise, as player’s demand out-especially in the NBA, strange things can happen?
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1 Comment
This guy truly does know losing (at least I can say that when I played against Michael Finley I dunked on him and opened the game with three consecutive 3s, ending up with 15 points in a game that was about as long as a quarter; assisted on all 5 of the squads other buckets and had 5 REBs and a pair each of steals and blocks).
He doesn’t, however, know sports. Not because this would be a terrible trade for the Bucks but because he thinks that Dame’s 15 games with 50 points is ‘routine’. IN 769 games it’s almost non-existent. It’s not even quite 2%.