Bucks' $216 Million Blockbuster Trade Named One of NBA's Biggest Mistakes of the Decade

The Milwaukee Bucks have made a lot of semi-desperate moves as they try to build a championship contender in order to make Giannis Antetokounmpo happy.

Trading for Jrue Holiday was a good decision, as it netted them their first championship in 50 years. He was exactly what they needed when they beat the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals back in 2021.

Not all of the moves they have made have worked out as they try to make Antetokounmpo want to stay in Milwaukee for his entire career. That includes trading for Damian Lillard.

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Milwaukee decided to trade Holiday in order to acquire Lillard before the start of the 2023-24 season. It ended disastrously, as they ended up waiving Lillard just a few weeks ago.

It was named as the third-worst decision that an NBA franchise has made since 2000 by ESPN. It's not a good decision when you look at the totality of everything that happened with the trade.

Lillard never got out of the first round of the playoffs in Milwaukee, losing to the Pacers in both seasons. Now, the Bucks have $22.5 million of his contract on their books for each of the next five years.

That cap situation is going to restrict them from being able to further improve the roster for the next few years, long after Lillard has retired. He likely won't be playing five years from now.

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Milwaukee took a big swing by bringing in Lillard to help improve their offense, but it didn't work. While it ended up being a massive mistake, fans can't blame the Bucks for going for it.

If the Bucks are going to keep Antetokounmpo for the entirety of his career, they will have to make these kinds of moves to possibly win a title.

The move to trade for Kyle Kuzma also doesn't look like it's working out, although that move is just a few months into its tenure. That move still has a shot to work out.

This past season with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

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