Damian Lillard Didn't Think Trade to Bucks 'Was Actually Going to Happen'

Damian Lillard is a Milwaukee Buck and that reality is something he needs to get used to.

Lillard was dealt to the Bucks September 27 following an uneasy Summer saga that saw the seven-time All-Star request a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. His original preference was the Miami Heat, but instead he was dealt to the reigning Eastern Conference regular season champions.

Lillard told Sirius XM NBA Radio that his agent gauged his interest in Milwaukee about two weeks before the trade and he expressed that that could be a fit. Still, he said he was skeptical a deal would get done.

"I knew it was a possibility," Lillard said. "I just didn't think it was actually going to happen. So when it did I wasn't fully surprised but it wasn't what I thought that call was going to be."

Lillard said he really liked the fit basketball-wise in Milwaukee and was excited about the possibility of playing alongside Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, he was not sure how that deal would get done, so he didn't necessarily hold out hope.

It's hard to blame Lillard for feeling a little uneasy about if the trade could work. His desire to go to Miami was curbed by the lackluster trade package they could provide, and a contending team like the Bucks isn't exactly flush with young, attractive assets that the Trail Blazers would be interested in.

However, Milwaukee was obviously able to swing the deal, with the Phoenix Suns joining in to make it a three-team trade, and now the Bucks look like a huge force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.

That is not a change, however. Milwaukee won the 2021 NBA Championships, have made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons and won 58 games in 2022-23 without Lillard in the fold. Adding him will only make the team more formidable and it shows Antetokounmpo that the team is interested in competing for another title.