With Damian Lillard trade, Bucks show Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA championship commitment

Milwaukee Bucks All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to see how committed the franchise is to winning another title before he signed another extension and continued his career in the Cream City.

The Bucks provided him with a persuasive reason to stay.

On Wednesday, Milwaukee reached a deal to acquire All-NBA guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal also involving the Phoenix Suns.

Now, whether Antetokounmpo, 28, actually re-signs with Milwaukee this year or next year remains a question, but the Bucks — from ownership, which now includes Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, through the front office, led by general manager Jon Horst — did what they had to do to convince Antetokounmpo that Milwaukee is still the best team and best place for him and his family.

The deal reshapes the landscape of both conferences — Portland is in a rebuild, Phoenix is retooling on the fly with the addition of Bradley Beal to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant and new coach Frank Vogel, and the Bucks, who won the title in 2021, want to take advantage of Antetokounmpo’s prime years and win another title.

The trade is also a setback for the 2022-23 Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, who wanted a high-scoring point guard to help Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and were the perceived front-runners to acquire Lillard — who had a strong interest in playing for Miami.

What Milwaukee gave up vs. what Miami offered is a debate that has Heat fans seething, and Butler posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the NBA should investigate Milwaukee for tampering. That sounds more like a player upset he didn’t get what he wanted, and we will see how the trade works for Portland, which acquired Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 first-round pick and the right to swap first-round picks with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030.

Horst swooped in with an offer that compelled Portland. Horst and his staff are low-key exploring opportunities and working the trade market.

Adding Lillard, 33, elevates the Bucks to East favorites right there with Boston. Last season, he averaged a career-high in points (32.2) and matched a career-high in shooting percentage (.463) and shot 37.1% on 3-pointers and 91.4% on free throws.

Lillard, who has four years and $216.2 million left on his contract, may not have mentioned Milwaukee as one of his preferred destinations, but Lillard and Antetokounmpo have discussed playing together. Once asked by a fan to pick one player who could help him win a title, Lillard answered: “Giannis.” Last season as an All-Star captain, Antetokounmpo picked Lillard to be on his team.

Lillard remains one of the league’s top players — maybe even top-10 — and alongside Antetokounmpo, the NBA MVP in 2019 and 2020 and still a viable MVP candidate, the Bucks create a two-man combo that’s as good as any in the league, especially offensively. The duo is right there with Phoenix (Durant, Booker), the Los Angeles Lakers (LeBron James, Anthony Davis), the Los Angeles Clippers (Kawhi Leonard, Paul George) and Boston (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum).

Milwaukee gave up a top-30 player in Holiday and lost depth by sending Grayson Allen to Phoenix, which continues to build a strong roster around Beal, Booker and Durant with limited salary cap flexibility.

But it was a deal Milwaukee had to make and one a team like Milwaukee, with Antetokounmpo’s potential free agency following the 2024-25 season, couldn’t pass up. Antetokounmpo can sign a three-year extension now or wait until next year and sign a four-year extension with the latter providing him more money.

Antetokounmpo has said it makes sense to wait on a possible extension, and that would also give him time to evaluate Milwaukee’s direction.

A title this season is realistic, but even competing for a title, which the Bucks didn’t do the past two seasons in the playoffs, might be enough to satisfy Antetokounmpo and keep him in Milwaukee.

It’s hard to question the franchise’s commitment with the Lillard trade.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on X @JeffZillgitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Damian Lillard trade Bucks' big move for Giannis. Is an NBA title next?