The Bucks have restored some much-needed equilibrium to the NBA trade market, which should behoove the whole league moving forward.
Nearly three months after he requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard finally got his wish Wednesday—to some extent. The Blazers shipped him to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team blockbuster that radically reshaped the NBA hierarchy.
In doing so, they revitalized the league’s trade market for the time being.
When Lillard requested a trade on July 1, he made it known that he only had eyes for the Miami Heat. His agent, Aaron Goodwin, “advised other teams not to pursue a trade” for him because he wanted “to play only for Miami,” according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Lillard’s one-team trade request was relatively unprecedented. He just signed a two-year, $121.8 million extension with the Blazers last summer, which meant he was on a guaranteed contract for at least three more seasons. Lillard’s Miami-or-bust stance sapped the Blazers’ leverage in trade negotiations, as the Heat had little incentive to offer a fair-value package if they thought they were the only bidders.
In late July, the NBA sent a memo to all 30 teams that said “any future comments, made privately to teams or publicly, suggesting Lillard will not fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade will subject Lillard to discipline by the NBA.” That didn’t cause the rumor mill to stop churning, though. Jackson and Anthony Chiang recently reported that “if Lillard is traded to a team other than Miami, he is expected to ask to be traded to the Heat.”
Despite those reports, it seems as though Lillard is on board with his move to Milwaukee.
That’s great news for a league that was otherwise staring down a major superstar trade problem with no end in sight.
Lillard wasn’t the only player to issue a one-team trade request this summer. After picking up his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden made it known that he wanted to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Unlike Lillard, Harden’s trade request remains unfulfilled for the time being. If he wants that to change, Harden may have to take after Lillard and widen the scope of which teams he’s willing to join.
Trade talks seemingly never got off the ground between Portland and Miami, according to multiple reports, while the Sixers ended trade talks with the Clippers in mid-August, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
