Milwaukee Bucks Acquire Seven-Time All-Star, Seven-Time All-NBA Selection and NBA 75th Anniversary Team Member Damian Lillard
Bucks send Jrue Holiday and 2029 first-round draft pick to Trail Blazers and Grayson Allen to Suns as part of three-team trade
MILWAUKEE (Sept. 27, 2023) – The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired seven-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team trade that also includes the Phoenix Suns. As part of the deal, the Bucks have traded guard Jrue Holiday and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Trail Blazers and guard Grayson Allen to the Suns. Portland has also received the rights to swap first-round draft picks with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030.
“Damian Lillard is an elite player in our league and someone we’ve long been fans of. These opportunities are rare and hard to measure and execute. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity for our community and team, and beyond excited to welcome Damian and his family to the Milwaukee Bucks,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst. “His character, competitiveness, talent and experience complement our group and gives us the best chance to win at the very highest level as we create new memories together.”
Last season, the Oakland native was a Third Team All-NBA pick after averaging a career-high 32.2 points (3rd in NBA), 7.3 assists (T-10th in NBA) and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 37.1% from three. He played and started 58 games in his 10th season, scoring 30+ points 33 times and 40+ points 15 times, along with a 50-point, 60-point and career-high 71-point game on Feb. 26 against Houston, which was tied for the eighth-highest scoring game in NBA history. Lillard also averaged the second-most made threes a game in the NBA last season with 4.2 and knocked down 244 total, which ranked fifth in the league.
The 6-2 guard also led Portland to eight playoff appearances in his 11 seasons with the team, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2019. In 61 postseason games, Lillard is averaging 25.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 40.3 minutes per game.
Acquired by the Bucks in November of 2020, Holiday played in 193 games (185 starts) with Milwaukee over the last three seasons and averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Last season, Holiday appeared in 67 games (65 starts) and averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest and earned his second career All-Star selection. In 14 seasons in the NBA, Holiday holds career averages of 16.4 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Allen appeared in 138 games (131 starts) with the Bucks over the last two seasons and averaged 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.4 minutes per game. Last season, he played in 72 games, making 70 starts, and averaged 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. Entering his sixth season in the league, Allen holds career NBA averages of 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
“We are grateful to Grayson for his many contributions to the Bucks,” Horst said. “He added to the winning culture in Milwaukee, and we wish him great success.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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