Damian Lillard Drama Ends With Him Heading to the Bucks
One of the biggest stories in the NBA offseason has been Damian Lillard. After years of being wishy-washy about if he wanted out of Portland, he finally asked out. The problem was he only wanted to go to the Miami Heat. With the Heat having nothing worthwhile to send back, it led to a standoff between Lillard and the Trail Blazers. But the Blazers finally moved him, just not to the Heat. Adrian Wojnarowski dropped the Woj Bomb to end all Woj Bombs when he broke the news that Damian Lillard was heading to Milwaukee to join Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
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Obviously not ideal for the Sixers. Not just because some Sixers fans were still holding out hope the Sixers could somehow land Lillard, but because he lands on one of their main competitors for the Eastern Conference. Dame and Giannis will immediately make for one of the most dangerous duos in the NBA. Apparently, after coming up short in the playoffs last year, the Bucks were ready for a big change and shipped out Holiday, Allen, and Picks to bring in a second Super Star.
The implications for the Sixers go beyond just having to deal with the Bucks though. Lillard was firm he would only go to the Bucks, and did not get his way. He still ended up on a great team, but not the team he wanted. The Sixers have their own Super Star in James Harden who has been firm he will only go to the Clippers. Will it impact what eventually happens with Harden? Harden is not the player Lillard is at this point, but still led the league in assists last season. Maybe this shakes things up enough that Harden can be moved to a team besides the Clippers. Or maybe it makes an already angry Harden harder to deal with.
The Sixers as they stand, have no shot to compete with this Bucks team unless Harden decides he actually wants to play. They will need to either convince him to stay or trade him for another Superstar talent, if such a trade is even possible. There were some rumors connecting Zach Lavine to the Sixers earlier, but those never went anywhere. So not the best of news to hear if you are a Sixers fan.
