Bucks' Damian Lillard on Patrick Beverley Trade: 'I Look Forward' to Playing with Him

With Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard, everything is water under the bridge when it comes to Patrick Beverley.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Bucks are acquiring Beverley from the Philadelphia 76ers for Cameron Payne and a 2027 second-round pick. The deal comes a little over a year after Lillard and Beverley had a heated exchange on the court while playing for different teams.

Now, the eight-time All-Star is saying all of the right things.

"First, I want to say I'm sad to see Cam go," he said to TNT Sports' Chris Haynes. "We developed a friendship that I cherish. As for Pat, he brings an edge and a defensive tenacity on the perimeter that we need. There are not many players who bring it on a nightly like him. I look forward to working together."

For his part, Beverley appears willing to extend the olive branch as well (warning: video contains profanity):

The incident last season pointed to how the bad blood between the two appeared to be very real, stemming back years to Beverley's time on the Los Angeles Clippers and continuing on.

Beverley seems to wear out his welcome at some point, as evidenced by the fact he's now on his seventh team. But it's not a coincidence he has been to the playoffs in eight different years, and it was nearly nine in 2022-23 after he reinvigorated the Chicago Bulls during the stretch run.

The 35-year-old should also help a squad that ranks 18th in defensive rating (116.3), per NBA.com, and has especially struggled at the point of attack. He may not be the perimeter defender he was during his prime, but he's certainly better than Payne in that area.

This trade is another reminder of how the shared goal of winning a championship can make for strange bedfellows.