Will Giannis Antetokounmpo Shock the NBA Again or Face an Unthinkable Challenge in 2025-26?
It’s that, as someone smart recently reminded me, Lillard’s tragic Achilles rupture in the opening minutes of Game 4 of Milwaukee’s first-round series against the Pacers eliminated one potentially fruitful pathway to a brighter future: the possibility the Bucks could have rerouted Lillard for more raw materials with which to fashion a new, more competitive version of the team.
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Even in the doldrums of a personal and professional downturn, Lillard averaged 24.6 points on .604 true shooting, 7 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game across two seasons in Milwaukee, made consecutive All-Star appearances, and finished 10th in the NBA in points and assists per game and 11th in offensive estimated plus-minus last season. Even with two years and $112.6 million left on the contract of the 35-year-old Lillard, there’s a decent chance that general manager Jon Horst could’ve found a trade partner willing to part with some real stuff that would re-stock a Milwaukee cupboard that’s awfully bare; thanks to the 2020 trade that made Holiday a Buck and the 2023 deal that shipped Holiday to Portland for Lillard, the Bucks have traded away control of their first-round pick in every season from now through 2030.



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