3 Reasons why Milwaukee Bucks are likely Damian Lillard mystery team
If there is a potential mystery team for Damian Lillard, it’s probably the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s been nearly three months since Damian Lillard demanded a trade to the Miami Heat. However, there hasn’t been much traction toward a deal. And if that continues, the probability for a potential dark horse team to arise and perhaps steal Lillard from the grips of the Heat’s hands rises.
Interestingly, ESPN’s Marc Spears recently reported that there has been a non-Heat Eastern Conference team that has held talks with the Portland Trail Blazers regarding a potential trade for Lillard.
If there is a mystery team for Lillard, I believe it very clearly has to be the Milwaukee Bucks. And there are several reasons why.
3 Reasons the Milwaukee Bucks are likely the Damian Lillard mystery team
The Milwaukee Bucks are the East team that makes the most sense
Looking at the landscape of the Eastern Conference, there’s an argument to be made that the Bucks are the dark horse team for Lillard that makes the most sense. We must understand that for a team to be qualified to be a Lillard dark horse, they must be a legit contender (or a piece away from being a contender) and have the assets to appease the Blazers. Those aren’t two boxes that many East teams can check off.
The Boston Celtics would have to do some major salary cap gymnastics to pull off a move for Lillard, and they may not have the young players to appease the Blazers. Plus, we know Lillard doesn’t want to play there even if he was open to several teams beyond the Heat.
The Philadelphia 76ers have their own chaos to worry about and even if they could trade Tyrese Maxey (which they have already said they have no interest in doing) for several draft assets, the Sixers would be left with no other young players to get the Blazers on board with a deal. I don’t buy them as a serious dark horse. Cleveland, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Indiana, Washington, Orlando, Charlotte, and Detroit can be crossed out too. For several reasons, they don’t make sense.
That leaves Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Toronto. Deep down, I don’t believe the Nets are willing to waste their one shot at landing a superstar with their draft capital on a 33-year-old point guard who has already played his best basketball. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are ascending and they need to find a star that is more lined up with their window. I doubt Brooklyn is willing to blow their assets on Lillard’s 1-2 year championship window for a team that may not even be good enough to be top 3 in the East.
Toronto and Milwaukee make sense but for the Raptors it gets complicated because we don’t even know if they want to pay Pascal Siakam. And if they don’t want to pay Siakam, a homegrown star, why would they want to pay a 36-year-old Lillard $60-plus million in 2026?
Lillard playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton fits. It makes sense. And the Bucks may have just enough talent to get the right assets to keep Joe Cronin and the Blazers on the line.