The Portland Trail Blazers made out pretty well in the deal that sent franchise icon Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s a good time to evaluate the deal, as Portland agreed to trade Jrue Holiday – who was a part of the package from Milwaukee for Lillard – to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
In exchange for Holiday, Portland will receive two first-round picks, big man Robert Williams III and guard Malcolm Brogdon. This gives a clearer picture of the final haul for Lillard, though the Blazers could also consider flipping Deandre Ayton, who they received from the Phoenix Suns as part of the Lillard trade.
The final haul from Portland for Lillard:
•Deandre Ayton
•Malcolm Brogdon
•Rob Williams
•Toumani Camara
•2024 first (Boston)
•2029 firsts (Boston, Milwaukee)
•2028, 2030 swaps (Milwaukee)So, that's a little better than what we heard the Blazers "had to take" elsewhere.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) October 1, 2023
The Miami Heat had been rumored to be interested in Lillard throughout the offseason, but the Blazers seemingly didn’t want to work with them.
Following the news of the Holiday deal, fans on social media reacted to Portland’s final haul for Lillard and immediately started making comparisons to Miami’s offer.
Yeah, sorry, that's more than Tyler Herro woulda got…
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) October 1, 2023
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson explained that the Blazers and general manager Joe Cronin ultimately got more for Lillard than Miami could have reasonably offered the team.
Though Cronin's personal behavior with Lillard was deplorable, he ultimately extracted more than Heat could have reasonably given him, with Suns also needing to be appeased by the process https://t.co/DW5ZQCFG6B
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) October 1, 2023
Former NBA big man and current analyst Kendrick Perkins expressed excitement for the Blazers’ future.
Chauncey Billups should be smiling from ear to ear right now!!! The Blazers Future is looking EXTREMELY bright right now!!! Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) October 1, 2023
It was noted that Portland still has some flippable pieces that could make the haul for Lillard even greater.
Can’t really question this as better than the Heat offer, especially if Rob or Ayton get moved at some point as well. Not sure you need both of those guys if you’re Portland. (The picks are kind of underwhelming, though.) https://t.co/QiDC9z3Bqt
— Rohan Nadkarni (@RohanNadkarni) October 1, 2023
One NBA writer, Action Network’s Matt Moore, seemed to troll Heat fans a bit by bringing up the fact that Miami made a run to the Finals without Herro. It’s possible that that reality hurt the Heat guard’s value and made Holiday – an All-Star last season – a more valuable trade chip.
There was a LOT of "Ha, let's see them get a good return on Jrue Holiday" from people peddling a guy who was absent when their team made a Finals run.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) October 1, 2023
Dan Le Batard pointed out that not only did the Heat miss out on Lillard, but the Blazers made two of Miami’s key competitors in the East — Boston and Milwaukee — better because of the Lillard deal.
You have to admit that Portland not wanting to deal with Miami at all is one kind of funny but actively hellbent on trading specifically to make Miami’s chief opponents in the East better is wonderfully petty. — Dan https://t.co/lWJqipMpwk
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) October 1, 2023
Even though Herro, who is a former Sixth Man of the Year, had a good season in the 2022-23 campaign, he took some shots on Sunday from those questioning his value.
Absolutely. Also the guy who might retire is still more valuable than Tyler Herro on the market. https://t.co/lstXRc4Ozv
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) October 1, 2023
Portland ended up with a haul, with Kevin O’Connor saying the team played it “perfectly.”
Blazers haul for Dame Lillard (plus Nassir Little, Keon Johnson):
Deandre Ayton
Robert Williams
Malcolm Brogdon
Toumani Camara
2024 Warriors 1st
2028 Bucks swap
2029 Celtics 1st
2029 Bucks 1st
2030 Bucks swapHuge W for Portland to get this rather than that weak Miami deal.…
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 1, 2023
Unfortunately for Heat fans, Milwaukee was able to make the better offer for Lillard, and Miami may now need to face the star guard in the playoffs to get to the NBA Finals this season.
