The Milwaukee Bucks did the unthinkable Wednesday and traded for Damian Lillard, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
In a three-team deal involving the Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, Lillard will end up in Milwaukee rather than his rumored preferred destination in Miami. However, if his goal was to win a championship, this may end up an even better situation as he gets to play next to former league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even before the trade, Milwaukee had top-three title odds at BetMGM. Now, they stand alone as No. 1. The addition of Lillard moved Milwaukee’s odds from +650 and tied for third with the Suns to +400, leapfrogging the Denver nuggets (+475) and Boston Celtics (+500).
Giannis and Lillard together with the Bucks pic.twitter.com/YTgeXEfiip
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 27, 2023
Boston’s odds actually got worse after the deal, with Milwaukee now favored to win the Eastern Conference at +165. Miami saw the biggest drop, going from +1000 to +2800. Phoenix and Portland (+25000) odds haven’t moved as of yet, with the Blazers adding Jrue Holiday in the deal and Phoenix shipping out Deandre Ayton but landing three players in return.
However, that could change soon with Wojnarowski reporting the Blazers are engaged in talks to move Holiday elsewhere.