Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are going to miss Damian Lillard.

After trading Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday in a three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns that landed them Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton, among other assets, the Blazers posted a tribute video to their longtime point guard on Thursday.

The video features some of the biggest highlights of Lillard's career in Portland:

Lillard, who requested a trade from the Blazers over the summer, had been a staple in the Portland lineup since being selected sixth overall in the 2012 draft out of Weber State.

The 33-year-old earned seven All-Star selections, seven All-NBA selections and won the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year award during his stay in RIP City. He also averaged 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game over his 11-year career with the Blazers.

While Lillard accomplished plenty individually, the Trail Blazers were never considered a true NBA title contender during his tenure, but now he's going to a team with major championship aspirations in the Bucks.

The Portland Trail Blazers may already be looking to move on from Jerami Grant.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Blazers are expected to explore trading Grant when he becomes eligible Jan. 15. Portland signed the veteran forward to a five-year, $160 million contract in July.

Signing Grant to such an exorbitant deal did not make much sense at the time. There was already palpable rumblings about Damian Lillard wanting out of Portland, and he confirmed his desire for an exit within 24 hours of the Blazers announcing Grant's new contract.

While Grant is a quality starter at the 3, he's a non-All-Star now signed to a contract averaging $32 million a season through his 34th birthday. The amount of teams that will be interested in trading for Grant will be few and far between based on the contract alone. It's a virtual certainty the best the Blazers will be able to do is a contract dump of a deal they signed months ago.

Grant's signing was perhaps the single oddest of the offseason, and it doesn't look any better as the Blazers embark on a rebuild.

Portland, for the time being, will be a better team than expected. Grant, Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons is a solid enough core for the Blazers to stay competitive this season, all while likely keeping the value of Holiday and Ayton in particular ripe for trade talks.

That said, there are simply not many positives to find in handing Grant that contract at this point.

The Portland Trail Blazers reportedly targeted Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo from the Miami Heat in Damian Lillard trade talks during the summer.

Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the Heat believed Portland had "no interest in engaging in a deal with them" after the initial ask.

Miami countered by offering up to three first-round picks, multiple second-round selections, Nikola Jović, expiring contracts and Tyler Herro, who would be sent to a third team for additional assets.

The Blazers traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday as part of a three-team blockbuster that sent Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and future draft consideration to Portland. The Phoenix Suns acquired Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson as part of the deal.

Portland's asking price of Butler or Adebayo in trade talks with Miami suggests the Blazers were never acting in good faith to send Lillard to his desired destination. Lillard's request for a trade to Miami was born out of his friendship with Adebayo and Butler and out of respect for the Heat's culture.

Adebayo and Butler were always going to be off the table, and the Blazers knew that. Asking for them in the first place feels more like a signal sent by Blazers general manager Joe Cronin that he—not Lillard—was in control of the process.

Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, released a statement Wednesday suggesting the blame fell on the Blazers' feet for his client not heading to Miami.

"[The Heat] did everything they could to acquire Dame. It takes two to get a deal done. I appreciate all that Pat, Andy and Micky did to try and make this happen," Goodwin said.

As it stands, Lillard likely found himself a situation even better suited for a championship. Giannis Antetkounmpo is by far the best teammate Lillard has ever had and likewise for Giannis, who already put the Bucks on his back to win the 2021 NBA title.

That said, it would not be a surprise if Lillard is leaving Portland with a bitter taste in his mouth given the tact taken by the front office in trade talks.

The Milwaukee Bucks shocked the basketball world on Wednesday by acquiring Damian Lillard in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, but it appears a deal may have been in the works longer than we thought.

Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, "privately told the Bucks and [Brooklyn] Nets 10 days ago that Dame would be interested in a deal there," per Andscape's Marc J. Spears.

The Toronto Raptors were also a "real contender" to land Lillard, Spears added, but the Bucks "got it done."

Lillard requested a trade from the Trail Blazers earlier this offseason after the team drafted Scoot Henderson third overall instead of trading the pick for assets to build a serious title contender.

The Miami Heat were Lillard's preferred destination, but the franchise seemingly never made an offer attractive enough for the Trail Blazers to consider sending him to South Beach. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported Tuesday that the Heat weren't "offering even close" to their full tradable assets.

The Nets would have been an interesting destination for Lillard after the franchise traded its stars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season. Brooklyn isn't considered among the top teams in the East with a lineup that includes Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges.

The Raptors had been linked as a destination for Lillard for some time, but it's possible that Toronto's hesitation to part ways with O.G. Anunoby in any deal for the veteran resulted in talks stalling.

The Trail Blazers "have long coveted Anunoby," Ryan Wolstat reported Tuesday. Wolstat added Wednesday that the Raptors "simply would not dangle O.G. Anunoby for Lillard."

The Bucks are now the Eastern Conference favorite with a lineup featuring Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, topping the likes of the Heat, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

If the Bucks win the title this year, it will be their second in four seasons and first since defeating the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 Finals.

For most of the summer, it looked like the Miami Heat would get to set their price in a Damian Lillard trade and the Portland Trail Blazers would just have to accept it.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin insisted on playing the long game, and it paid off Wednesday.

Portland agreed to trade Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of an eight-player, three-team deal that will send Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and future draft consideration to the Blazers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium

The Suns, the third party in the trade, acquired Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Grayson Allen.

And, as it turns out, the Heat were never particularly close to landing Lillard. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported Portland never gave the Heat a chance to give a final offer, and the two sides barely communicated after initial conversations in July.

Lillard made it clear in no uncertain terms that he preferred a move to Miami, given both the team's strong culture and his friendship with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. The situation was so blatant that Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, released a statement thanking the Heat for their efforts.

"They did everything they could to acquire Dame. It takes two to get a deal done. I appreciate all that Pat, Andy and Micky did to try and make this happen," Goodwin said.

Throughout the process, it seemed no serious suitor would step up, with Lillard's behind-the-scenes bluster about preferring a Miami move and the Blazers' asking price combining to create a tepid market. Talks appeared to heat up over the last week, with a number of teams—Miami included—being linked in talks.

Instead, the Bucks cashed in their chips to make an all-in run at winning another championship.

Make no mistake, this was a move designed to appease Giannis Antetkounmpo first and foremost. Antetkounmpo has been jarringly honest about his future this summer, saying he would not commit to re-signing in Milwaukee without the organization committing to building a title contender.

"I'm a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly I'm a winner," Antetokounmpo said on the 48 Minutes podcast. "I want to win. I have to do whatever it takes for me to win and if there's a better situation for me to win the Larry O'Brien [Trophy], I have to take that better situation."

Even if the Bucks don't win a second championship in the coming seasons, this is clearly a full-fledged commitment to winning. Lillard is by far the best teammate Antetokounmpo has ever had, the Milwaukee is arguably a better situation than Miami for winning title for Lillard.

It will just be interesting to see whether two players who are used to being the fulcrum of their franchises can co-exist.

After the Miami Heat failed to acquire star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, star forward Jimmy Butler didn't sound happy.

Butler took to social media Wednesday and accused the Milwaukee Bucks of tampering to acquire Lillard.

"Yo, NBA, man, y'all need to look into the Bucks for tampering, y'all do," he said. "I'm just gonna put that out there. Y'all didn't hear it from me, but I heard it through somebody..."

Butler isn't alone in his belief that something improper went on before Lillard landed in Milwaukee, as Heat guard Tyler Herro retweeted the video and wrote, "What he said."

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers sent Lillard to the Bucks in a three-team deal that also included the Phoenix Suns. Portland acquired Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick from Milwaukee and swap rights with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030. However, the team is reportedly likely to flip Holiday in another deal. The Suns landed Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

When Lillard requested to be traded from Portland at the beginning of July, he made it no secret that Miami was his preferred destination. The two teams had been linked together for much of the offseason, but no deal ever appeared imminent.

Lillard didn't have a no-trade clause in his contract, so the Blazers were never beholden to trade him to the Heat. Instead, he lands with another Eastern Conference contender, and he will likely be in Miami's way as it tries to make a second straight trip to the NBA Finals.

Pairing Lillard with Giannis Antetokounmpo creates one of the most dangerous duos in the NBA. The floor general will have no problems sharing the offensive load and opening things up for Antetokounmpo.

The arrival of Lillard should also help improve Milwaukee's prospects of holding onto Antetokounmpo, as the two-time NBA MVP said this offseason that he won't sign a contract extension until he's confident in the team's ability to compete for a championship each year.

The Portland Trail Blazers will look very different next season after reportedly agreeing to a massive three-team trade that sent star point guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal also includes the Phoenix Suns and allowed the Blazers to acquire Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick from Milwaukee and swap rights with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030. The Suns received four players in the deal: Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

Thanks to the sweeping changes, Portland's roster now looks like this (starters in bold) :

• PG: Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson
• SG: Anfernee Simons, Rayan Rupert
• SF: Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle, Kris Murray
• PF: Jerami Grant, Toumani Camara, Jabari Walker
• C: Deandre Ayton, Moses Brown

According to Spotrac, the Blazers now have a total salary cap of $177.4 million, which puts them over the max for the 2023 season by over $41 million.

Per RealGM, the Blazers still owe the Chicago Bulls a first-round draft pick that will only be sent to them if it lands outside of the lottery. Assuming that gets resolved next season, Portland would then own its first-round selections every year from 2025 to 2030. The additional 2029 first-round pick plus the pick swaps with Milwaukee give the Blazers additional capital to potentially include in future trades.

Replacing Lillard is no small task, but the Blazers may not be done dealing. Wojnarowski reported Portland is looking to shift Holiday in a separate deal after moving Lillard. The two-time All-Star has been selected to an All-Defensive team five times with three first-team selections. His veteran presence should be coveted by multiple contenders and help accelerate Portland's rebuild.

Ayton is the other headliner of Portland's return for shipping away Lillard. He will be tasked with replacing Nurkic, but he should be motivated after a disappointing end to his tenure in Phoenix.

The 25-year-old had a disappointing showing in the playoffs this past year, averaging just 13.4 points per game and looking disengaged multiple times throughout the postseason before the Suns were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported after their elimination that Ayton's teammates in Phoenix were experiencing "frustration with what they perceive to be inconsistent effort and aggression from the 7-footer."

In his fifth NBA season, the seven-footer didn't make much progress toward becoming a dominant center. He averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks while shooting 58.8 percent from the field. In 2021-22, he averaged 17.2 points, 10. 2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks on a 63.4-percent shooting clip.

Ayton's best moments on the court came during Phoenix's run to the 2021 NBA Finals. He shot 65.8 percent from the field that postseason and displayed the ability to take over games when needed.

However, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick hasn't been able to sustain that level of play throughout a season during his time with the Suns.

Perhaps a change of scenery will benefit Ayton, as he joins a Blazers unit that finished with a 33-49 record last season and fell short of the playoffs. He should benefit from playing alongside a veteran power forward like Grant, and he will likely be one of the team's top offensive options going forward alongside Henderson and Simons.

A Damian Lillard trade finally went down Wednesday with the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly landing the Portland Trail Blazers superstar in a deal that also included the Phoenix Suns, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Portland landed Bucks guard Jrue Holiday as part of its return, but there may be more movement on the horizon, via Wojnarowski:

"The Blazers remain engaged elsewhere on deals and are expected to immediately engage contending teams on trade talks to move on Jrue Holiday, sources tell ESPN. Portland is committed to its young group of talented guards."

Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in landing Holiday in the wake of the deal. Holiday was drafted by Philadelphia in 2009 and played four seasons with the team before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013.

Holiday, a two-time All-Star and five-time NBA All-Defensive Team member, just averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Bucks.

As Wojnarowski noted, the Blazers are fully embracing a youth movement centered around a backcourt that stars reigning No. 3 overall draft pick Scoot Henderson and 2022 lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe. The team still has 24-year-old Anfernee Simons, who just finished second on the team with 21.1 points per game.

As great as Holiday has performed on both ends of the court, he's clearly a better fit on a playoff-contending team as opposed to a rebuilding franchise. The 33-year-old and 15-year NBA veteran still has plenty left in the tank if last season was any indication, so another trade makes sense.

As far as the Bucks go, this marks a seismic shift to the team's core. The big three of Giannis Antetokounpo, Khris Middleton and Holiday guided the Bucks to a championship two seasons ago, but the team fell in the second round of the playoffs the following year before a first-round exit as a No. 1 seed in 2023.

Injuries (notably to Middleton) played a part in 2022, and the Bucks happened to run into a Miami Heat buzzsaw in 2023 that ran all the way to the NBA Finals.

Antetokounpo recently made it clear on the 48 Minutes Podcast that he's looking for championship rings and that he'd head elsewhere if it meant a better opportunity. He can leave after the 2024-25 season for free agency.

Bringing in Lillard, who should ease Antetokounpo's scoring burden and create a dynamic one-two punch, goes a long way toward achieving Antetokounpo's goal.

It certainly wasn't Holiday's fault that the Bucks didn't win the past two years, but at this juncture, he's reportedly in limbo as Portland looks for his new NBA home. Whichever team lands Holiday is getting a star two-way player and three-time Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year who should be a great fit wherever he goes.

Even though the Portland Trail Blazers haven't been high on the trade offers they've received from the Miami Heat, there's still a belief Damian Lillard is going to end up being dealt to the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

Per Michael Grange of SportsNet, there is a "growing consensus" around the NBA that Lillard will be moved to the Heat at some point.

Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported on Monday that the Toronto Raptors were seen as the "front-runners" to acquire Lillard after recently engaging in conversations with Portland, though no deal "close to being imminent" as of the start of this week.

One reason the Blazers haven't been enamored with Miami's offers to this point is they don't believe it's "even close" to including its full array of available assets, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

According to Jackson, the Heat's offer includes Tyler Herro, two first-round draft picks in 2028 and 2030 plus another player to make the salaries match (either Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson).

This is basically the same offer that has reportedly been on the table for Portland since Lillard made his trade request on July 1. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated noted at that time noted the Blazers are "lukewarm" on Herro.

Even if the Blazers trade Lillard, they will still have Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson in their backcourt rotation. They don't necessarily have a need for a player like Herro, whose four-year, $120 million extension begins this season.

It's unclear what the Raptors' offer for Lillard might include. Spears noted Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Gradey Dick could all be options.

There could be a resolution to the Lillard saga very soon, as Spears said on Monday's episode of NBA Today that general managers around the league expect a deal to be done before media day.

Most teams are holding media day on Oct. 2, one day before training camp opens. The preseason tips off on Oct. 5 with the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves playing at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The regular season begins on Oct. 24 with the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Lillard has spent his entire 11-year NBA career with the Trail Blazers. He has been named to the All-Star team seven times, including five times in the past six seasons. The 33-year-old averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game in 58 starts last season.

Amid buzz that the Toronto Raptors are a serious threat to acquire Damian Lillard, the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers remain locked in a stalemate over the trade value for the seven-time All-Star.

Per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Heat and Blazers have a "fundamental disagreement" about what "constitutes sufficient trade compensation" for Lillard.

"One league source who spoke to Portland's front office last week was told by the Trail Blazers that a trade that sends Lillard to the Heat is 'unlikely,'" Chiang wrote.

Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported Monday that Toronto is currently viewed as the favorite to acquire Lillard, though an agreement is not believed to be close at this point.

Details of the Raptors' potential offer aren't known, but Spears noted it could include Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, O.G. Anunoby and/or Gradey Dick.

Spears added two NBA executives expect a Lillard trade will happen before Oct. 2, when most teams have media day.

The Heat have long been considered the front-runner for Lillard since he formally requested a trade on July 1. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the 33-year-old specifically wanted to be dealt to Miami.

There was so much smoke hovering about Lillard only wanting to play for the Heat that the NBA had to issue a formal warning to all 30 teams about players under contract making team-specific trade requests.

The Blazers have been steadfast in their desire to get what they believe to be fair value for Lillard. Miami's initial offer, according to Spears, was a package that included Tyler Herro and two future first-round draft picks.

Herro would arguably be redundant on a Blazers team that already has Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. He would give them a terrific outside shooter, but they also may not view him very highly as a potential building block for their future.

Regardless of where Lillard ends up, it seems like the situation might be on the verge of being resolved. Training camps open on Oct. 3, and the regular season begins on Oct. 24.