Getty Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, after predicting the Milwaukee Bucks would lose their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series to the Indiana Pacers, urged the Bucks to cut bait with star Damian Lillard in the offseason.
“With or without Giannis, Indiana is winning this series,” Smith said on the April 14 episode of ESPN’s “NBA Countdown.” “When that happens, I think the Bucks should take a strong look at using the asset, i.e. Damian Lillard, and moving him from Milwaukee this summer.”
The Bucks underperformed after trading for Lillard in October and entering the 2023-24 season as title favorites. They endured a midseason coaching change, Lillard had one of his least-productive seasons in years, and the Bucks went 14-12 after the All-Star break to get the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
“I don’t think he wants to be there,” Smith said. “I don’t think his play looks like he wants to be there.”
Smith also noted Lillard’s limitations as a perimeter defender and why his game hasn’t meshed well in Milwaukee.
“What we anticipated about the Bucks never existed,” Smith added. “I think it shows itself in this first-round series [against Indiana].”
Tyrese Haliburton’s Pacers squad was 4-1 against the Bucks this season, and Milwaukee superstar suffered a lower leg injury on April 9 that “would suggest a two-week absence is likely.”
Has Damian Lillard Regressed?
To Smith’s point, Lillard’s production has dropped significantly since his arrival in Milwaukee. The 8-time All-Star is averaging his fewest points (24.3) in a full season (not including 2021-22) since his third year in the league when he averaged 21. Lillard is also shooting his worst percentage from three (35%) since the 2014-15 campaign.
Despite his and his team’s palpable struggles, Lillard said he was confident going into the first-round series against the Pacers. After Milwaukee’s 113-88 loss to Orlando on April 14, Lillard sounded upbeat about his team’s postseason chances.
“I think the one thing about the playoffs, especially this season, everybody can beat everybody,” Lillard said, via Oregon Live. “That’s really how I feel about it. Happy we have home court. It’s a team that we’re familiar with. We know that they like to play fast. They score a lot of points.”
Milwaukee Wasn’t the Preferred Destination
It’s no secret that Lillard preferred a move to the Miami Heat when he first requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023.
In an interview with Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports on October 23, 2023, Lillard confirmed the veracity of those reports, revealing that he and Heat star Jimmy Butler wanted to link up as teammates.
“We’ve [Butler and I] always been in some form of contact with each other,” Lillard said. “And I said it, initially I was like, ‘I want to go to Miami.’ He was a big part of that. It didn’t happen. I’m here now. But our relationship will be the same. The same respect. It’s just something that didn’t happen. It was out of his control and mine.”
Perhaps if the Bucks suffer an early flameout in the 2024 postseason, the Lillard could get his wish of going to Miami, albeit a year later.