It might be the blockbuster trade of the year. The Milwaukee Bucks recently acquired former Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard in a three-team deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Blazers and Grayson Allen to the Phoenix Suns.
Lillard spent 11 years in Portland and is now making his way to Milwaukee. In a post on Twitter, he wrote that he is excited for this new chapter.
In the wake of all this, Lillard did express his feelings about how he feels at this stage in his career to Gilbert Arenas.
Arenas revealed on his podcast, No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, that Lillard had texted him after the deal was made. Arenas mentioned the two have talked at length in the past, and the first thing he asked Lillard was, “Are you happy?” to which he received a swift response.
“I’m one of those guys at the very top.”
“I am,” Lillard said to Arenas, who read the message on the podcast co-hosted by the son of former Bucks Marques Johnson, Josiah Johnson. “I think it will finally come to light that I’m one of those guys at the very top. They have discredited me for years without acknowledgment, how I was never even close to even playing field with everybody else.”
Gilbert Arenas was a Wizards star for eight of his 12 seasons in the NBA. He went on to further explain that based on the text from Lillard, his whole mindset came from a result of being a successful player in a small market but felt like he didn’t receive enough praise as some of his peers due to him being in a small market.
Milwaukee Bucks Hot Duo
However, Arenas believes that Lillard is exactly where he wants to be, and is given the amazing opportunity to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and help the Bucks compete for another championship.
Gilbert texted Damian Lillard “Are you happy?” Dame responded…@KingJosiah54 and Agent Zero react to Dame’s trade on our YouTube. pic.twitter.com/sP80bAAOxz
— Fubo Sports (@fuboSports) September 29, 2023
“I think now that he’s going to be on that big stage, and gonna be number one in the East and he’s gonna do what he’s going to do,” said Arenas. “All of a sudden, he’s gonna go from Dame to this superstardom, all because of the team he’s playing on. And I think, at this point in his career, that’s what he’s been you know, looking for.”
Both Lillard and Antetokounmpo are among the best players in the NBA, and having them together on a team? That spells out the championship right there. Lillard is a seven-time all-star that brings so much to Milwaukee’s court, bringing him to a championship-caliber team is what he needs, and Lillard is what the Bucks need if they want to continue their success going into this season and bring another trophy back to the 414.
Milwaukee is expected to host a “Dame Welcome Rally” on Saturday, Sept. 30 starting at 2 PM in the Plaza at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks Pro Shop already has pre-pressed Lillard jerseys available for sale, but in limited quantities and sizes.
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