Giannis Antetokounmpo gave his first thoughts on Damian Lillard joining the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks executed the most recent blockbuster trade, moving to get superstar Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. This gives them a superstar duo, and they are one of the favorites to win the championship next season.
Recently, we saw Giannis Antetokounmpo give his reaction to the Bucks acquiring Lillard when speaking to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. Antetokounmpo noted that it is “bittersweet” because the team lost Jrue Holiday, but noted that the team has to focus on winning a championship.
“I’m excited to have Dame. He gives us a chance to win a championship. I’m excited to play with the caliber of player that he is. He can score the ball in his sleep and shoot the lights out.”
“It’s a bittersweet day for the city of Milwaukee. You get Dame, who is a great player, but you lose a great guy… But we’ve got to focus on the goal to win the championship. Dame wants this. He’s hungry to win, and he’s going to push us. I’m very happy to have him on our team.”
At the end of the day, the NBA is a business. Front offices have to do what gives their team the best chance to win, and it is clear that they were willing to move on from Jrue Holiday to pair Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Time will tell if it is a move that gets them a championship, but it is clear that this increases the team’s overall talent level.
This past season, Damian Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game for the Portland Trail Blazers. He can definitely be a difference-maker for the Milwaukee Bucks, and help them compete in an increasingly talented Eastern Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Was Out Of The Loop On The Damian Lillard Trade
Even though Giannis Antetokounmpo seems happy to have Damian Lillard on the roster, the superstar played no role in the trade happening. In fact, it was recently revealed that the Bucks did not consult Antetokounmpo at all on the Lillard trade.
“He literally played no role,” Wojnarowski said. “In fact, John Horst, Milwaukee’s GM, he did not bring this trade idea or sign-off on it to Giannis Antetokounmpo because Jrue Holiday was involved… he did not want to put that on Giannis Antetokounmpo and have that on his conscience… The Bucks make this decision believing that it gives them the best chance to win more titles.”
The Bucks ultimately made the right choice to build a better team around their franchise superstar. Anytime you can get a player of Lillard’s caliber, you do it, and the Bucks decided to take a swing to get the talented point guard.
The Milwaukee Bucks Are The Favorites In The Eastern Conference
There is no doubt that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are the best duo in the Eastern Conference. Two superstar-level players on the same team warrant making that statement.
The expectations will definitely be there for the Milwaukee Bucks next season. They broke up a championship core to get Damian Lillard. The team definitely has the talent to do so, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
