There were so many photoshopped images of Damian Lillard wearing a Miami Heat shirt that it seemed like he had actually bought a condo in South Beach.
He had a hankering for Miami. He was fed up with the city of Portland and its reconstruction scheme. Instead, Joe Cronin, general manager of the Trail Blazers, negotiated a three-team blockbuster trade with another Eastern Conference powerhouse.
The Milwaukee Bucks have placed all of their chips on the table for a run at the NBA Finals, trading away star two-way guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and crucial reserve Grayson Allen to the Phoenix Suns in order to acquire Damian Lillard and combine him with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even if Lillard makes the Bucks more dangerous offensively and harder to defend, the Celtics are still the favorites in the Eastern Conference. However, they have aged. Lillard is 33 and has had a number of injuries over the past several years, and Antetokounmpo’s supporting cast is also getting up there in age.
Stevens should give this some serious consideration. Lillard initially insisted on being traded to the Heat, but after negotiations broke down, Cronin broadened the search for a new team for the point guard.
However, it seems likely that Cronin will receive enough attractive offers containing future first-round picks and assets to convince him to trade Holiday before the trading deadline. On Tuesday, Stevens told the Globe that he was happy with the team’s current lineup thanks in large part to the signings of Lamar Stevens, Kristaps Porzingis, and Oshae Brissett over the summer.
However, he is likely to contact Cronin in order to establish a price. Adding Holiday to the starting lineup would make the Celtics a serious title contender once more.
The Celtics are still the top club in the Eastern Conference, and the Heat’s chances of making the playoffs have been hurt by the trade that sent Lillard to the Bucks from the Blazers. They were prepared to make room for a potential Lillard trade, and in the hours following the trade’s announcement, the Heat made a handful of modest roster adjustments in an effort to make peace with Tyler Herro, who had been dangled as trade bait for Lillard for months.
The Bucks made headlines on Wednesday when they signed a legitimate superstar, but the move may prove costly if their veteran players are unable to bounce back with strong campaigns. Brogdon and Horford, two Celtics, are both over the age of 30. The remaining essentials are either at or near their peak performance. That’s why they’re the presumptive champions.
Nonetheless, the rivalry may now be more fierce due to the departure of a star player from the league.