In the summer of 2023, Portland sent away arguably the best player to ever put on a Trail Blazers jersey, trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Here were the details of that trade:
Trail Blazers received: Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milwaukee's 2029 first-round pick, Milwaukee's swap rights in 2028 and 2030
Bucks received: Damian Lillard
Suns received: Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson
Now, after a turbulent two seasons in Milwaukee that resulted in first-round playoff exits and a brutal Achilles tear, Lillard returns home to Portland sooner than expected.
Damian Lillard's trade gives him the pieces he's never had
If Dame can return at least somewhat close to 100 percent after his injury, the Blazers landed an absolute steal, signing him to a three-year, $42 million deal with a no-trade clause and player option for 2027-28. Family proximity certainly played a role in Lillard's decision, but he also loves the basketball fit and the young roster Portland has been building while he's been away.
"I've watched the team, even at a distance, and I've followed and stayed in touch with what was going on. Looking at how the league is trending and how it's changing, it's not the same old thing no more. Young teams that guard and have depth and compete and are connected, this team has all of those things. It's all there, from the talent to the depth to having it on both sides of the ball, it's all there," Lillard said, via Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.
As a result of this trade, whether directly or indirectly, the Blazers landed their two most important building blocks in Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. Those versatile two-way wings catalyzed Portland's newfound identity, finally giving them the pieces they failed to surround Lillard with his first time around.
Highkin put it best: "Imagine if, instead of Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu, those teams had Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara on the wings. Imagine if, instead of piecing together a center rotation after Jusuf Nurkic's leg injury with the likes of Enes Kanter, Meyers Leonard, Zach Collins and Hassan Whiteside, they had a 21-year-old elite rim protector like Donovan Clingan. Imagine Yang Hansen as a supercharged version of a playmaking big like Mason Plumlee."
Landing these integral rebuilding pieces already made Portland's Lillard trade a significant win, putting to rest any debate that general manager Joe Cronin should've picked the Miami Heat package instead. This is before any of the Bucks' coveted picks even convey to the Blazers.
Milwaukee waived and stretched Lillard's remaining $113 million salary to create room to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal. While Turner is a talented center addressing the Bucks' biggest need after Brook Lopez's departure to the Clippers, Milwaukee's roster problems go far beyond their center spot. It remains to be seen whether Giannis Antetokounmpo ultimately requests out, which would further increase the value of these picks.
Regardless, this is already a fleece for Portland, and it only gets better with Lillard's return.