76ers Will Get First Crack at Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

Damian Lillard has been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, who the Philadelphia 76ers will open the season against.

The Damian Lillard saga is over, and it ended with a bang.

For months, Lillard hoped for a trade to the Miami Heat. When he initially requested a trade in July, several teams, including the Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers, reportedly reached out.

While the Sixers had a ton of interest in Lillard in past times, they weren’t getting very far with negotiations this time around.

For months, it seemed Lillard would be headed to South Beach at some point before the 2023-2024 season started. That won’t be the case, though.

With the Portland Trail Blazers fielding calls from several Eastern Conference teams, including the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and the Milwaukee Bucks, it became clear the seven-time All-Star would be on the move before training camp begins next week.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks have won the sweepstakes

Giannis and Lillard together with the Bucks pic.twitter.com/YTgeXEfiip

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 27, 2023

Sixers Open Season vs. Lillard and the Bucks

The Sixers’ season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks was already must-see TV since it would be another installment of the MVPs Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Now, there’s more juice added to the matchup since Lillard has become a part of the Eastern Conference contender.

Since entering the NBA as the sixth-overall pick in 2012, Lillard has been the face of the Blazers’ franchise. For 11 straight seasons, Lillard starred for Portland, earning seven All-Star nods during that time. Across 769 regular season games, Lillard averaged 25 points while knocking down 37 percent of his threes. He’s also accounted for seven assists per game in his career.

In eight of the 11 seasons Lillard played for the Blazers, he’s been to the playoffs. While he has 61 postseason games under his belt, Lillard hasn’t won a Conference Finals in his career. 

He’ll get a solid opportunity out in Milwaukee with the Bucks this season. While the Bucks are coming off a disappointing playoff run in 2023, losing in the first round as the top seed, the Bucks are expected to be back in playoff contention once again. Being that they won the NBA Finals with Antetokounmpo in 2021, Lillard could help give Milwaukee the boost it needs this season.

The Sixers will be the first team to get a crack at the new duo on October 26. They’ll tip off at 7:30 PM ET.