The Portland Trail Blazers have finally done it. After months of rumors and speculation and smokescreens and opinions, starting well before Damian Lillard’s trade request and continuing daily until now, the Trail Blazers have executed a trade. Damian Lillard, future Hall of Famer and a strong candidate for the greatest Blazer of all time, will now officially play for another team.
That team is, shockingly, the Milwaukee Bucks (Woj first on the trade). The Eastern Conference contender, perhaps motivated by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wandering eye, threw its hat into the ring and came away with an all-NBA point guard. The offensive fit between Giannis and Dame is positively divine.
The return for the Blazers is certainly not what many expected; it’s not a gift basket of draft picks and draft prospects. Instead, Portland now has two max players to fit onto the team, at least for as long as they are on the roster. Here are the full details of the trade:
Full trade, per sources:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 27, 2023
- Bucks: Damian Lillard
- Blazers: Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, 2029 first-round Bucks pick and Bucks pick swap
- Suns: Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson, Grayson Allen https://t.co/56I888abMs
Jrue Holiday is a multi-time All-Star and was the second-best player on a title team just over two years ago. Deandre Ayton is a walking double-double and former No. 1 overall pick. Even as Portland engages other teams on a possible trade for Holiday and other veterans, they head into training camp next week with an intriguing mix of vets and youngsters.
Who’s in the Portland Trail Blazers rotation now?
How will things shake out for the starting lineup? Who fills out the rotation? And if you leave head coach Chauncey Billups with all of his clubs in his bag, will he choose to prioritize development or winning?
Let’s take a crack at building out a starting lineup and rotation after the Damian Lillard trade.