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So the BUCKS' main problem is that Lillard is too old, and the window is closing quickly...

Simons/Grant/Thybulle for Lillard/Connaughton.

The Blazers get their hometown hero back without losing any of their core...

The Bucks are getting younger to try to convince Giannis; I also think they're plugging some important holes.

Simons/Thybulle/Grant/Kuzma/Giannis
KPJ/Green/Jackson /Portis/López

It would be great to send Simons and Grant packing but not for this deal.

Lillard is owed a lot of money.

Pass for POR.

JRoy wrote:It would be great to send Simons and Grant packing but not for this deal.

Lillard is owed a lot of money.

Pass for POR.

Dame is owed $112m for two more years. Connaughton has one more year at $9.4m. A little over $121m total.

Grant is owed $102.6m for three more years and Simons is owed $27.7m for one more year. About $130m combined.

Portland is saving money here.

Astaluego wrote:So the BUCKS' main problem is that Lillard is too old, and the window is closing quickly...

Simons/Grant/Thybulle for Lillard/Connaughton.

The Blazers get their hometown hero back without losing any of their core...

The Bucks are getting younger to try to convince Giannis; I also think they're plugging some important holes.

Simons/Thybulle/Grant/Kuzma/Giannis
KPJ/Green/Jackson /Portis/López

Dame is from Oakland. His 'home' team would be GSW.

JRoy wrote:It would be great to send Simons and Grant packing but not for this deal.

Lillard is owed a lot of money.

Pass for POR.

Completely agree.

Dame from Oakland, but yeah going back to Portland to finish your career makes sense.

JustBuzzin wrote:Dame from Oakland, but yeah going back to Portland to finish your career makes sense.

I am not a Scoot fan but how does benching Scoot for Lillard make sense? POR isn’t winning anything with post prime Lillard.

The money is what ends up mattering the most, like always. I don't see how PORT saving $9M is a big deal. Because on the court they see like everybody Lillard isn't the player he was when he left Oregon. And the Blazers end up with him for 2 years when their goal is the opposite of the Bucks. They have a young core of 6-8 guys and they want to move forward with them. Lillard just keeps their roster confused as they want to play Scoot, Sharpe, Avdija, Murray and see if they can make it their team. I don't see how having Lillard around for 2 years taking minutes from those 4 makes their situation better than it is now.

The Lillard era ended in Portland. I don't see the team recapitulating back to him being the centerpiece...and yes he would be the centerpiece if he's getting that amount of money.

Lillard thrived and was able to manufacture wins in a Stotts led system, and didn't when suddenly defense was emphasized under Chauncey. But don't get it twisted...Stotts is twice the coach Chauncey is.

I could see Lillard coming back to Portland, but only on a last contract basis. Or as an assistant coach, perhaps.

JRoy wrote:

JustBuzzin wrote:Dame from Oakland, but yeah going back to Portland to finish your career makes sense.

I am not a Scoot fan but how does benching Scoot for Lillard make sense? POR isn’t winning anything with post prime Lillard.

I was looking at it more from Dame's side. He seems to love the city why not go back home and finish your career there.

I don't think a championship is in the conversation with or without Dame.

ChettheJet wrote:The money is what ends up mattering the most, like always. I don't see how PORT saving $9M is a big deal. Because on the court they see like everybody Lillard isn't the player he was when he left Oregon. And the Blazers end up with him for 2 years when their goal is the opposite of the Bucks. They have a young core of 6-8 guys and they want to move forward with them. Lillard just keeps their roster confused as they want to play Scoot, Sharpe, Avdija, Murray and see if they can make it their team. I don't see how having Lillard around for 2 years taking minutes from those 4 makes their situation better than it is now.

I imagined Lillard taking Simons/Grant's minutes (for one more year)... who isn't supposed to be a long-term piece either.

JustBuzzin wrote:

JRoy wrote:

JustBuzzin wrote:Dame from Oakland, but yeah going back to Portland to finish your career makes sense.

I am not a Scoot fan but how does benching Scoot for Lillard make sense? POR isn’t winning anything with post prime Lillard.

I was looking at it more from Dame's side. He seems to love the city why not go back home and finish your career there.

I don't think a championship is in the conversation with or without Dame.

True. Teams do not donate superstars to POR.

Adding Lillard would stall the development of the young guys.

Again, hard pass.

I suspect Dame burned that bridge, at least with the organization if not the fan base.

Bucks aren’t doing this anyways, we’re not obligated to send Dame where he wants to go just highest bidder. Not Simons(not good), bad Grant contract, scrub Thybulle. Portland gives up nothing and gets the best player.

JayMKE wrote:Bucks aren’t doing this anyways, we’re not obligated to send Dame where he wants to go just highest bidder. Not Simons(not good), bad Grant contract, scrub Thybulle. Portland gives up nothing and gets the best player.

Agree he has no say in where he goes.

Honestly don’t want Lillard back even at a discount. Not a knock on him but he is part of the past for us, not the future.

JRoy wrote:

JayMKE wrote:Bucks aren’t doing this anyways, we’re not obligated to send Dame where he wants to go just highest bidder. Not Simons(not good), bad Grant contract, scrub Thybulle. Portland gives up nothing and gets the best player.

Agree he has no say in where he goes.

Honestly don’t want Lillard back even at a discount. Not a knock on him but he is part of the past for us, not the future.

Yea it doesn’t make sense to move backwards and I wouldn’t want to give up assets either. Dame hasn’t been a good fit in Milwaukee but he’s still a great scorer who could score high 20s maybe 30ppg still on right team.

JayMKE wrote:

JRoy wrote:

JayMKE wrote:Bucks aren’t doing this anyways, we’re not obligated to send Dame where he wants to go just highest bidder. Not Simons(not good), bad Grant contract, scrub Thybulle. Portland gives up nothing and gets the best player.

Agree he has no say in where he goes.

Honestly don’t want Lillard back even at a discount. Not a knock on him but he is part of the past for us, not the future.

Yea it doesn’t make sense to move backwards and I wouldn’t want to give up assets either. Dame hasn’t been a good fit in Milwaukee but he’s still a great scorer who could score high 20s maybe 30ppg still on right team.

Lillards tenure in MIL has been disappointing. Injuries and poor coaching haven’t helped.

JustBuzzin wrote:

JRoy wrote:

JustBuzzin wrote:Dame from Oakland, but yeah going back to Portland to finish your career makes sense.

I am not a Scoot fan but how does benching Scoot for Lillard make sense? POR isn’t winning anything with post prime Lillard.

I was looking at it more from Dame's side. He seems to love the city why not go back home and finish your career there.

I don't think a championship is in the conversation with or without Dame.

Clearly not from POR side...they're starting to make some progress - they're not here for a victory lap/all the feels reunion.

How about Dame for KD...two old guys/HOFers moved strictly for fit.

JustBuzzin wrote:Dame from Oakland, but yeah going back to Portland to finish your career makes sense.

And here I was thinking he might be coming home to Utah (Weber State)!

I want a return of Lillard, but the timing does feel wrong. I think when his role is reducing and his salary more closely matches that, I’d love him as an offensive spark off the bench. But right now, the biggest issue to me is reducing Scoot’s role and stunting his development. I also think Scoot and Dame would be bad sharing the court, so simply giving Dame the minutes of others doesn’t fix things.

I could see Dame returning to Portland to finish his career but not until his current contract is up.