(Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP) The biggest off-season trade in the NBA was definitely the three-way deal between the...
The biggest off-season trade in the NBA was definitely the three-way deal between the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Phoenix Suns that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. After spending 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers, it's a new chapter for Lillard's career. The Bucks won the NBA championship in 2021 and are hoping by adding Lillard into the fold they'll be able to get back on top. Lillard in turn is looking for his first NBA championship ring after years of coming up short in Rip City.
As far as what he'll bring to the Bucks, Lillard will bring a reliable scoring punch that takes some pressure off of star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game last season while Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. By having a second 30+ points per game guy, that will help Giannis not feel like he has to do as much and also allow him to focus on being a real force inside with Lillard being more of a perimeter threat.
Lillard will not just take pressure off Giannis on the day-to-day scoring, but he'll also be a guy who they can go to in crunch time. While Giannis is great in the clutch, Lillard is one of the most clutch players the NBA has ever seen. Especially from 3-point range. If the Bucks are down by two with 24 seconds left and the ball, Lillard will become a great option to either take the game-winning shot or run some pick and roll action with Giannis. His presence on the floor should open things up a lot in that regard.
The real key for the Bucks will be to make sure they keep Lillard healthy. He hasn't played 70+ games in a season since 2018-19 and actually, the same is true for Antetokounmpo. He too hasn't played 70+ games since 2018-19. If they are able to stay healthy and be in prime shape come the playoffs, they're going to be really difficult to stop. They should be the odds on favorite to come out of the East and possibly dethrone the Denver Nuggets, who I have as the favorites to come out of the West.
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