Damian Lillard trade has a ripple effect on multiple Kentucky Wildcats in the NBA
A massive three-team NBA trade sent shockwaves through the league just a few days before training camp begins, with the Portland Trail Blazers sending franchise icon and seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he'll team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and create a tough to beat a super team in the Eastern Conference.
Portland received Jrue Holiday and draft pick compensation from Milwaukee while also netting big man DeAndre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns, who received Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, and Nassir Little in return.
While no Kentucky Wildcats were officially moved in this trade, as with many things that happen in the NBA, coach Calipari and his team's fingerprints were all over this mega deal.
First, it is a surprise to anyone following the NBA that Lillard was traded and Miami guard Tyler Herro was not involved. Lillard publicly said his only preferred destination is to the Heat, with most expecting a deal to come to fruition which would align Lillard with another Kentucky alum, Bam Adebayo, and would put the Heat over the top as championship contenders.
But Pat Riley's team was unwilling to offer more than Herro and a pair of first-round picks, which didn't align with what Portland was looking for thanks to a stacked group of young guards - which includes another (sort of) former Kentucky player, Shaedon Sharpe.
Sharpe, who did not suit up for Kentucky before going seventh overall in the 2022 NBA draft, will have an even bigger role alongside Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons following Lillard's departure and the expected trade of Holiday.
Milwaukee's acquisition of Lillard doesn't alter the playing time situation for another former Kentucky guard, TyTy Washington, who is on a two-way deal with the Bucks and the Wisconsin Herd. Washington will get an excellent opportunity to learn from an all-time great in Lillard, however, which is never a bad thing for a young player.
Finally, the Suns replaced Ayton with Nurkic at center, giving Devin Booker a new teammate with a bit more floor vision in his game - although it is a step down defensively for the Suns. They also add Allen and Little as key depth options on the wing, although this team is still predicated on how Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal gel together.
No Kentucky alumni were directly dealt in this massive NBA trade, but it's a move that has plenty of ripple effects for Wildcats all across the association ahead of the 2023-24 season.
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