Sunday night saw the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns lose their respective playoff games. For the Bucks, it put them on the brink of elimination down 3-1 against the Indiana Pacers, while the Phoenix Suns were shockingly swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Both the Bucks and Suns started their seasons with a massive trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, one that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, Jusuf Nurkic to Phoenix and Deandre Ayton to Portland.
While the Blazers would much rather want to be participating in the playoffs instead of sitting on the couch after a 21-win season, they could be in the best position of the three teams one season after the trade.
The Suns could be the worst off out of the three teams. Phoenix pushed all its chips in after trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal and absolutely gutted its future. That would’ve been okay if the team was winning like it was supposed to, but the Suns don’t even have a playoff series win — let alone a game — to show for it.
The Bucks, although they have been struck with injuries to Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, aren’t in much of a better spot. Sure, they could come back and win three straight games, but they haven’t shown that they can be a true contender with the current roster. After firing Adrian Griffin — who led the team to a 30-13 start — replacement Doc Rivers led the team to a sub-.500 mark after taking over. Now, he’s one loss away from a second consecutive first-round exit.
The Suns and Bucks are on a train to mediocrity. At least the Blazers have the potential to go in a different direction. There may not be a worse spot in sports than being mediocre, because you don’t put yourself in a spot to win a championship, but you aren’t bad enough to acquire the top young talent. At least the Blazers have the chance to do that.
Giannis, Dame, KD, Booker ... all of those guys are future Hall-of-Famers, but the reality is right now that they are on teams who can’t win the championship, and they no longer have enough assets to acquire the pieces they need alongside them to win.
This is where the Blazers were in the final few years of the Lillard era. They were good enough to be competitive, but not enough to truly make an impact, which is why the Blazers had to blow it up, even if they tried everything in their power not to. Eventually, the Suns and Bucks will recognize that to be their fate as well, and the moves made in the Lillard deal will prove to have been a mistake in hindsight.
Does that mean the Blazers “won” the Lillard trade? No. There’s no guarantee that they will get back on top with the current team they are trying to build. However, if you had to choose one of the team’s futures, the Blazers are the one I’d most like to have.
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April 29, 2024 at 10:10PM
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Are Trail Blazers 'Winning' the Damian Lillard Trade? - Blazer's Edge
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