McCollum on Lillard Trade: 'No Disrespect' to Heat, Butler, Bam but Giannis Different

Damian Lillard's former co-star in Portland is excited to see him team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

CJ McCollum, who was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the New Orleans Pelicans at the 2022 trade deadline, said that he was happy to see Lillard go to the Milwaukee Bucks and even said it might be a better fit than Lillard's desired destination of the Miami Heat.

"No disrespect to Jimmy and Bam, and that organization, and that roster, but Giannis is different," McCollum said, per Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. "That's a different guy to play alongside in terms of his dominance. There's not another guy in the league that dominates the way he does. He's just the guy that's really, really hard to guard."

McCollum also said that the on-court situation is better in Milwaukee, which he believes is the most important thing to Lillard.

"He's always talked about the importance of wanting to win a championship," McCollum said, per Fentress. "Miami would have been great for him and that's where he wanted to go. But you could argue that this is a better situation in terms of winning a championship than Miami, outside of the taxes and the weather. You get to play with arguably the best player in the NBA."

Lillard had a sensational season statistically in 2022-23, averaging 32.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 58 games. However, the Trail Blazers had a tough season, going 33-49 and missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Lillard was clear about wanting to play for a contender and requested a trade in July, with a preference to go to Miami.

However, he ended up with the Bucks and Milwaukee was already a very strong team before Lillard's arrival.

The Bucks went 58-24 and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. While the season ended in disappointment with a first-round exit to the Heat, the team is still as much of a contender as anyone in the conference and adding Lillard makes them even more potent.