Trail Blazers Trade Damian Lillard To Bucks As Le Batard Flops, Jimmy Butler Cries Foul

Someone better check on Dan Le Batard and his "sources."

This offseason’s NBA sweepstakes for Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is over. Unless Dame has anything to say about it. According to The Athletic / Stadium’s Shams Charania, the Trail Blazers agreed to a three-team trade that will send Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks to join All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kris Middleton.

READ: DAMIAN LILLARD STIRS UP DRAMA WITH BLAZERS FANS

Dame is finally out of Portland.

It's the blockbuster trade NBA fans have eagerly awaited and a bit of a surprising one considering the Miami Heat were atop Lillard's trade demands when he first voiced them in July. Despite all of the premature celebrating in Miami about acquiring Lillard, those dreams of a championship-hopeful team-up between Jimmy Butler and Dame are now over.

Details of the trade:

Milwaukee Receives:

Damian Lillard

Portland Receives:

Jrue Holiday

Deandre Ayton

Toumani Camara

Milwaukee's 2029 first-round pick (unprotected)

Swap pick rights with Milwaukee in 2028, 2030 (unprotected)

Phoenix Receives:

Jusuf Nurkic

Grayson Allen

Nassir Little

Keon Johnson

After 11 Seasons, Lillard's Out of Portland

Lillard will surely settle for Milwaukee if he can't make it to South Beach, considering the Bucks have a superior roster makeup compared to the Heat. Portland was stuffed with backcourt talent, including the third-overall pick of the 2023 draft, Scoot Henderson.

Also included in the mega deal is Phoenix big man and former first-overall pick, Deandre Ayton.

Milwaukee managed to avoid trading secondary All-Star Kris Middleton (big win) while losing one of the best scoring and defensive guards in the league, Jrue Holiday (big loss).

The move also helps Milwaukee retain Giannis Antetokoumpo amid the faint but growing buzz that the franchise star could be on the move for a marquee team like Golden State.

Now, Antetokoumpo and the Bucks catapult to the top of the East, boasting one of the better Big 3's in the conference. As we've learned in recent seasons, a Big 3 hardly guarantees a playoff spot; let alone a championship.

Milwaukee braces for plenty of changes in the upcoming season. Aside from offloading the requisite players to land Damian Lillard, the Bucks must adapt to new head coach Adrian Griffin. Milwaukee dismissed championship coach Mike Budenholzer after losing to the Miami Heat in five games in the 2022-23 postseason.

The Bucks seemingly got their revenge on the Heat off the court.

If you're curious what Jimmy Butler thought of the trade ... he wasn't happy.