By Zach Rankin
On September 30, 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers traded 7x All-NBA All-Star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns as well.
The Blazers received Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milwaukee's 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and two unprotected swap rights from Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030.
The Phoenix Suns received Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson. All of that was in exchange for Damian Lillard in the first trade.
Then, the next day, the Celtics decided to trade for Jrue Holiday. The Trail Blazers received Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, the Warriors' unprotected first-round pick in 2024, and the Celtics 2029 unprotected first-round pick.
In total, the Blazers received a lot of young players to prepare themselves for a chance to try and compete for a championship, while the Bucks and Celtics will compete to try and win the East. The Suns then add more depth to try and beat the Nuggets (defending champions) in the West to compete for a championship.
In my poll of 12 people, Milwaukee was favored by 75% to win the championship, and then another 75% of people said that they came out as winners in the trade. So, expect Milwaukee to have some major success this season, with Damian Lillard making them title contenders.
In my interview with Drew Lucas, he said, “The Bucks will win the title vs the Nuggets in the Finals.” Finally, the Bucks are the favorites to win the title this year after this trade over the Nuggets and the Celtics.
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