Wednesday’s blockbuster three-team trade between Milwaukee, Portland and Phoenix that sends Damian Lillard to the Bucks rocked the NBA just a week before training camps open for the 2023-24 season.
The immediate buzz following the trade was that the Bucks – who finished as the No. 1 seed in the East last season before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs – enter the 2023-24 season as the favorites to come out of the East as Lillard pairs with two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to form a lethal combination.
While the ultimate goal behind this deal of winning the NBA title won’t be decided until June, the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament gives this new-look Bucks team a new competition and championship to chase. Let’s take a look at how this trade impacts the In-Season Tournament outlook for the three teams involved.
The Bucks were already favored to emerge from East Group B prior to the trade based largely on their success from last season (league-best 58-24) and their roster continuity. They made a coaching change and re-signed free agents Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to keep the core of their team intact.
The trade for Lillard disrupts that continuity as Milwaukee loses two starters in Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen. Is the upgrade to Lillard – an NBA 75th anniversary team member, the NBA’s third-leading scorer last season at 32.2 ppg – enough to offset that loss?
With Group Play happening in the season’s first six weeks, the Bucks will need to integrate Lillard into their system quickly in order to emerge out of the group.
While offense should not be a problem, this trade does impact the Bucks’ defense, which ranked fourth last season with a rating of 110.9. Milwaukee’s perimeter defense takes a hit with the loss of Holiday – an All-Defensive Team selection in each of his three seasons with the Bucks – but they are still anchored by Antetokounmpo, the 2020 Kia Defensive Player of the Year, and last season’s runner-up in Lopez.
The trade adds fuel to an East Group B game that was already considered a must-watch – Milwaukee visiting Miami on Nov. 28.
Lillard made it known that Miami was his preferred destination after deciding to leave Portland after 11 seasons. But the Blazers and Heat were unable to come to a deal before Portland accepted Milwaukee’s offer.
This game was already a rematch of last year’s No. 8 over No. 1 upset as Miami eliminated Milwaukee in five games. Add in the Lillard acquisition and this rivalry gets even spicier
