Grading All Angles of Three-Team Damian Lillard Trade
ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a nuke on the basketball world this afternoon after breaking news of Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Minutes later, the Phoenix Suns were revealed to have been included as a third team in the blockbuster deal, sending former number one overall pick Deandre Ayton and intriguing rookie prospect Toumani Camara to Portland.
This trade will have league-wide ramifications, and will likely be a topic of discussion at many upcoming Media Day's - most of which are set to commence in the next week.
All sides will be graded for the trade, as Phoenix is directly tied to Portland and Milwaukee moving forward from a personnel and contending perspective.
Phoenix Suns
This trade was obviously about addition-by-subtraction in James Jones' eyes. Although Ayton is a strong talent who still possesses a high ceiling, the relationship between he and Phoenix clearly wasn't salvageable.
Moving Ayton to Portland and giving both sides a fresh start was best.
The Suns also received Jusuf Nurkic, a solid if unspectacular replacement that could potentially be viewed as a better connector for the new-look offense compared to Ayton. Grayson Allen is another lights-out off ball shooter, Nassir Little is a former highly regarded prospect with a high motor, and Keon Johnson is a young player that can either be seen as a development piece or a trade chip around the deadline in February.
This move wasn't ideal for Phoenix in a vacuum, but it was necessary and it adds flexibility for the future.
Grade: B
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee once again made a very bold move in November 2020, when they moved Eric Bledsoe for Jrue Holiday in an attempt to appease franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Little did Milwaukee know, this move lead to their first championship in 50 years in July 2021. Just a little over two years later, the Bucks once again made a similar move, swapping the two-time All-Star Holiday for perennial superstar Damian Lillard.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo likely becomes the NBA's best duo. Pairing the dynamic duo with previous All-Star Khris Middleton, star role player Brook Lopez, and a functional bench makes Milwaukee favorites in the East, and perhaps compels Giannis to commit to the franchise long-term.
Grade: A+
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland may be ridiculed at the surface for the package that they received for their franchise icon, but general manager Joe Cronin is setting up the future of this franchise nicely.
Deandre Ayton's reputation could be resurrected being paired next to Portland's new phenom, Scoot Henderson. Toumani Camara is an intriguing prospect at the very least. Jrue Holiday figures to net Portland at least a future first-round pick, and possibly another young player.
The Blazers now have four building blocks in Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and Ayton. Not enough in the basketball world talk enough about the Kris Murray pick Portland made in this year's draft, either. They also boast two interesting trade chips in Holiday and Jerami Grant.
Lastly, they have financial flexibility in the long term.
Portland now has a defined direction and the future looks bright.
Grade: A
