While there were a handful of landscape-shifting blockbuster trades during the offseason, there’s no denying that the Milwaukee Bucks’ acquisition of Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers stands out as one of the most significant deals not only this summer but in recent history as well.
As a matter of fact, general managers from around the NBA have now made their true feelings known about how this deal will impact both the Bucks as well as the rest of the league.
Damian Lillard Expected to Make Massive Impact on Milwaukee Bucks
The GMs were asked to vote on the player acquisition which they believe will have the biggest impact. Unsurprisingly, Lillard got the lion’s share of the poll, racking up 47% of the GM votes.
Needless to say, league execs expect big things from Lillard now that he’s teamed up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Moreover, there is without a doubt a ton of expectations for Milwaukee to succeed this coming season — perhaps more than they have ever had in recent memory.
Incidentally, coming in second in terms of the most impactful summer acquisition is the Boston Celtics’ coup on Jrue Holiday. This move got 13% of the votes followed by Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns (10%), Kristaps Porzingis also to the Celtics (7%), Fred VanVleet to the Houston Rockets (7%), and Victor Wembanyama to the San Antonio Spurs (7%).
Jrue Holiday Trade Shocked Execs
It is also worth noting that the GMs deemed Milwaukee’s decision to ship off Holiday in exchange for Lillard as the most surprising move of the offseason. Holiday had firmly established himself as a key part of the Bucks’ core and more than a few folks out there were shocked by the front office’s decision to trade him away — and league execs agree.
Then again, the Portland Trail Blazers were demanding a massive haul in exchange for their now-former cornerstone superstar, so the Bucks just had to give up a significant amount of assets to make this deal work. And they did.
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