Damian Lillard did Damian Lillard things in Game 1 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Portland Trail Blazers fans recognize vintage Lillard when they see it - 35 points in a half, with a step-back, 28-foot buzzer-beater thrown in for good measure.
Dame is on the best team he's ever been a part of and has his best shot at winning an NBA championship this season. The Blazers, meanwhile, won 21 games. It seems like a no-brainer that the Bucks won September's trade bringing the seven-time All-NBA point guard to the Cream City. But is that really the case?
The Trail Blazers are winning the long game
Lillard torched the much-hyped Indiana Pacers, at one point individually matching the NBA's No. 1 offense in scoring. As he said himself, that's what the Bucks brought him to Milwaukee to do,
"This is what ya'll brought me here for." pic.twitter.com/JgjmxzbJeP
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 22, 2024
The Blazers knew what they would lose when they moved Dame: a franchise icon, fan favorite and star point guard. Taking a step back wasn't just inevitable, it was the plan. Pack the roster full of young talent like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Let Anfernee Simons have his shot at filling Lillard's shoes offensively. Collect a bunch of assets and lose a bunch of games. So far, so good.
The current outlook on the Damian Lillard trade
The Bucks didn't dominate the regular season as expected, but there's no reason to think they're ready to take a mulligan on the Dame deal. The Blazers should be fine with how things are progressing as well. If anyone has any regrets it could be the Phoenix Suns, but they should feel content with their own return.
As a reminder, here's how the trade went down in it's entirety:
Nurkic gave the Suns the playmaker and glue guy they needed at the center spot. Swapping him for Ayton made sense for both Phoenix and Portland. Allen became one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA this season and signed an extension to keep firing away next to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal for the next four years.
Basically a rare win-win-win.
Still, the Trail Blazers will be soaking in that "W" for longer than either Phoenix or Milwaukee.
Regrading the Lillard trade
Ayton got off to a slow start in Portland but showed flashes of why the Blazers acquired him to be their center of the future. He averaged 23.2 points and 12.4 rebounds over his final 15 games, and at 25 years old, is young enough to grow with the team's core.
Camara was one of the most pleasant surprises of Portland's slog of a season. The 52nd pick in last year's draft started 49 games because of his defense and willingness to do the little things. Despite being a 23-year-old rookie, he doesn't appear to be a finished product, either; he hit 45.6 percent of his threes over his last 25 games.
The 2029 Bucks pick could be gold. Lillard will be 38 and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be 34 by 2029, assuming either player is still in Milwaukee. If the Blazers' rebuild goes according to plan, those 2028 and 2030 swaps could come into play. Portland also won't have to pay Dame the $216.2 million he's owed over the next four seasons, including $63.2 million in '26-27.
This doesn't include the haul general manager Joe Cronin pulled in for forwarding Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics, either. And considering Cronin was backed into a corner as the entire league knew he was being forced to trade Lillard, setting the franchise up for the future the way he did still needs to be considered a steal.
Blazers trade regrade: A-