🏀 It Finally Happened.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s over. The Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, and the NBA might never be the same again.

As a result of this internet-breaking trade, we’ll have to push part two of our expansion draft series to Monday (it’ll be worth the wait, we promise). Let’s get started!

Today’s Lineup

The Trade to End All Trades 😧: Damian Lillard is a Milwaukee Buck.

Around The W ⭐️: Crina goes over the latest from the WNBA playoffs!

2K Who? 💻 : Our new favorite basketball simulation game is CRAZY…

But first, a little trade-related trivia:

Breaking Down the Big One

Well folks, it finally happened. Damian Lillard is a Blazer no more. Get ready for a lot of polls, because we really need the community’s opinion on this one.

Why the Bucks said yes

Two words. Dame Time.

The Bucks pulled off what nobody thought was possible and put another top ten player next to the Greek Freak. Lillard immediately transforms Milwaukee’s offense into one of the most explosive in basketball—just imagine that Giannis/Dame PnR. And the team already has enough of a defensive presence to mitigate the former Blazer’s weakness on that side of the ball.

That’s not to say this trade is without risk for Milwaukee. Jrue Holiday might have been inefficient for the Bucks in the playoffs, but it’s impossible to understate just how impactful he is on the defensive end. And while Lillard did just have a monster season, his defensive lapses may start to show up more and more at age 33 and beyond.

Why the Blazers said yes

This is without a doubt a bittersweet moment for all Blazers fans. Dame was the heart and soul of the franchise. A true leader in every sense of the word.

But at the same time, it’s hard not to get excited about the future.

Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe were already forming a new young core in Portland, and now they’re adding one of the game's best young centers to the mix. Deandre Ayton's time in Phoenix was divisive, but the Blazers are hoping that all he needs is a fresh start in a new situation. Portland also now controls Milwaukee’s picks from 2028 to 2030, when Dame will be 38-40 and Giannis will be 33-35.

Still, it’s never easy to say goodbye to a legend. Let’s take a moment to remember the good times:

Why the Suns said yes

Trading a former first-overall pick for a charcuterie board of assorted role players doesn’t seem like the best move in the world, but dig a little deeper and you’ll understand how impactful this trade could be for the Suns.

Jusuf Nurkic isn’t on Deandre Ayton’s level in terms of talent, but there’s a lot to like about his fit in Phoenix. A bruiser down low who’s totally fine being the 4th or 5th option, Nurkic is great on the boards and one of the most underrated passers in the game. Sharpshooter Grayson Allen and athletic forward Nassir Little round out the trade as great depth options for a team that desperately needed it.

The Jrue Holiday Question

In what might turn out to be a stroke of genius, Portland also acquired Jrue Holiday in the three-team deal. Trade Dame to the Eastern Conference, and then sell the Dame stopper back to the highest bidder for a premium? Makes a lot of sense.

Portland is apparently looking for a couple of picks and a young player in return, with multiple playoff teams already enquiring. Could the Heat finally come through with an enticing package? What about Chicago, or maybe Boston? You get the point. How about you just tell us where you think he lands instead?

Around the W With Crina ⭐️

Three teams have a chance to wrap up their playoff series this weekend. Let’s see how each semifinal stands!

New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun (1-1)

Game 3: Friday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Game 4: Sunday, October 1 at 3 p.m. ET (ABC)

After the Sun took Game 1 in statement fashion, the Liberty bounced back and came away with the win in Game 2. Tip Hayes had her best game of the playoffs in the second contest, putting up 30 points while scoring on all levels. It wasn’t enough to beat the Liberty, though, as Betnijah Laney put up 20 points and hit 5/7 threes to lead New York to victory.

This is a five game series, so both teams have a chance to win two in a row in Connecticut and advance to the WNBA Finals. If they split the games in Connecticut as they did in New York, however, they’ll head back to Barclays Center for a deciding Game 5.

Las Vegas Aces vs. Dallas Wings (2-0)

Game 3: Friday, September 29 at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

On the other side, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces have the chance to beat Dallas one more time on Friday night and get an entire week off before the Finals start on October 8th. The Aces have looked very comfortable throughout the playoffs so far, and they’ll most likely have some extra time to rest their stars before a Finals matchup against New York or Connecticut.

Frozen Moments

• Dame’s heartbreaking farewell letter to Rip City. 💔💔

• Tyler Herro’s hilarious reaction to not being traded! 😭

• Jimmy Butler isn’t happy… 😳

What We’re Enjoying

Basketball GM: Want to go simulate the Dame trade without all the hassle of loading up 2K? That’s where Basketball GM comes in. Totally free and runnable on even the crustiest of laptops, Basketball GM lets you take control of any team at any point in NBA history. You don’t actually get to play any of the games, but it’s a great tool for testing your armchair GM skills and playing out as many random “what if” scenarios as your heart desires.

Signing Off

That’s all from us today! Now that Dame has been traded, try and get off social media for the day. We promise you (probably) won’t miss anything.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is Ben Wallace! One of basketball’s greatest defenders was traded from Orlando to Detroit as part of a package for Grant Hill in 2000. Nine years later, Cleveland sent Wallace (along with Sasha Pavlovic and a second-round pick) to Phoenix in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal.