3 questions about the Damian Lillard trade

One for each team involved.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

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Concert of Angels; El Greco; 1608

Damian Lillard was traded! To the Milwaukee Bucks! The deal:

• Bucks get Dame

• Blazers get Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, the Bucks’ unprotected 2029 pick and unprotected pick swaps from the Bucks in 2028 and 2030

• Suns get Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nas Little and Keon Johnson

The Blazers are reportedly working to flip Holiday to a contender … but appear to be keeping Ayton for now.

Other pertinent fact: Lillard has already declared that he’s eager to play for the Bucks. A report from Marc Spears after the trade indicates that Dame’s agent Aaron Goodwin recently reached out to the Bucks and Nets, in the middle of the dead negotiations with Miami, to say Lillard would be open to playing for their teams. The inexorable march of time mixed with impatience apparently broken down the “Heat or bust” stance.

We’ll have some reaction links in the appropriate section down below. For now, my three questions about this trade and its impact.