Insider Drops NBA News on Possible Damian Lillard Trade
The Milwaukee Bucks' 2025 season ended in stunning fashion against the Indiana Pacers for a second straight postseason.
For a Bucks team that won the 2021 NBA Championship with franchise centerpiece Giannis Antetokounmpo, the future is now in doubt with no clear sense of direction.
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Following an All-Star caliber season, Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in Game 4 against the Pacers, knocking him out for the rest of the playoffs and possibly the 2025-26 season.
Trade rumors have already begun swirling around Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks are well-short on draft picks and young talent after giving up most of their assets to land Lillard, who will be turning 35 years old in July.
It appears, though, after two rocky years in Milwaukee and before suffering this potential career-altering injury, people were already beginning to talk about the Bucks potentially looking to dangle Lillard in trade talks for a major deal.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard reacts with forward Kyle Kuzma in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during Game 4 of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Benny Sieu
'Had Lillard remained healthy, and had the Bucks still fallen in the first round, league sources say there would have been discussions about whether Lillard wanted to remain in Milwaukee,' wrote Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
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Earning his ninth All-Star selection this season, Lillard posted averages of 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game. Despite Lillard forming a strong bond with the Nigerian-Greek superstar, the Bucks struggled against elite teams, and Lillard's hefty cap figure posed a significant challenge heading into the offseason.
"The relationship between Antetokounmpo and Lillard is strong, as is the respect level, but the imperfections of their on-court pairing remained in their second season together," Nehm and Amick wrote. "And with the group's collective limitations growing more evident by the month, a conversation was looming about whether Lillard and the Bucks might be better off parting ways."
Before the Achilles injury, Lillard missed the final 11 games of the regular season after battling a frightening deep vein thrombosis injury in his right calf.
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Given his injury history, the trade market that would've been for Lillard regardless of the Pacers series outcome, will likely fall by the waist side.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo Pairs With Victor Wembanyama in Trade Idea Floated by CBS Sports Analyst
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