Bucks News: Damian Lillard 'Never Wanted to Leave' Blazers

The Milwaukee Bucks made the bold move to trade for Damian Lillard during the 2023 offseaso. It was a move that no one saw coming, considering Lillard's reps wanted him to go to Miami.

In fact, Lillard's camp seemed to put on a front that he only wanted to go to Miami and nowhere else. Instead, he was sent to Milwaukee, as the Bucks offered the best package for him.

After the Bucks waived him a few weeks ago, Lillard decided to sign back with the Trail Blazers. Apparently, he never really wanted to leave Portland.

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Lillard never wanted to leave Portland despite his trade request, according to ESPN. Lillard never wanted to leave his family, which would have been even further away had he actually gone to Miami.

Lillard's time in Milwaukee will go down as one of the biggest failures in recent franchise history. Trading Jrue Holiday, who went on to win another title, was clearly the wrong move.

Not only did it make their defense much worse, but the fit between Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo was never able to work out. The offensive chemistry was just never there.

The Bucks will now have to deal with the financial consequences of that mistake for the next five years, as $22.5 million will be on their cap sheet for the next half-decade.

Milwaukee has to figure out the long-term answer at the point guard position now that it no longer has Lillard. Kevin Porter Jr. is the slotted starter for next year.

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Portland is excited to have its franchise icon back with the team. Milwaukee will have to find a second star player to pair with Antetokounmpo, although they signed Myles Turner to be their second-best player.

Tuner was the fourth-best player on a Pacers team that made the NBA Finals this past season, so that's going to be a massive step up when it comes to his role.

This past season with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. He shot 44.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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