NBA trade grades - Breaking down the most impactful deals - ESPN

The Damian Lillard-Portland Trail Blazers saga dominated the offseason, but it has finally hit its conclusion.

On Wednesday, Portland agreed to trade Lillard as part of a three-team deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. Lillard heads to Milwaukee, while Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a Milwaukee 2029 unprotected pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030 go to the Blazers. Phoenix adds Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson in the deal.

With the Lillard move now out of the way, which other moves are in store this season?

ESPN NBA Insider Kevin Pelton is grading all the biggest trades.

Milwaukee Bucks get:

G Damian Lillard

Phoenix Suns get:

SG Grayson Allen

SG Keon Johnson

SF Nassir Little

C Jusuf Nurkic

Portland Trail Blazers get:

C Deandre Ayton

F Toumani Camara

PG Jrue Holiday

2028 unprotected swap rights

2029 unprotected first-round pick

2030 unprotected swap rights

Milwaukee: B+

Whoa. The Bucks were never seen as a possible Lillard destination — they weren't among the four teams we highlighted in a recent piece on potential landing spots. Yet they fit the most important criterion for a deal to make sense: the ability to win a title during the remainder of Lillard's late prime years.

The urgency to win now ratcheted up lately with Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo telling The New York Times, then subsequently reiterating, that he would sign an extension with the Bucks only if he believed «everybody's going for a championship.»

Given Antetokounmpo could reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2025 by declining a player option for the 2025-26 season, that gave Milwaukee a two-year window to add to the 2021 title and persuade Giannis to stick