Damian Lillard found a new home with the announcement of the blockbuster three team trade where the Portland Trail Blazers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns traded players. Other elite players like Deandre Ayton, and Jrue Holiday also were traded as part of the deal and started a new journey in their NBA careers.
Jrue Holiday was traded to the Blazers but it looks like he will be traded again to a new team. Lillard on the other hand wanted to go to the Miami Heat but ended up at Milwaukee. Pelicans guard CJ McCollum gave his opinion on the move and explained why the Bucks move will be more beneficial to Lillard than his desired Miami move.
CJ McCollum opens up on Damian Lillard $215 million trade to Bucks
CJ McCollum recently expressed his views about the Damian Lillard trade to the Milwaukee Bucks. According to Blazers Argento report on X (formerly Twitter), CJ McCollum said, “He always talked about the importance of wanting to win a ring.”
He further continued, “Miami would have been great for him and that is where he wanted to go. But you could argue that this is a better situation in terms of winning a championship than Miami, taxes and weather aside. You get to play with possibly the best player in the NBA.”
McCollum emphasised on the point that Lillard’s desire was to win a ring for himself and his best chances to do so with the Bucks. Considered he does not get injured, he is getting a chance to play with one of the best players in the league.
Explaining details of Damian Lillard’s $215 million Bucks contract
Damian Lillard will be getting paid around $215 million by the Bucks over his 4 year long contract with them. Dame originally signed a $176 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers and was traded to the Bucks with 2 years left on the contract.
A payment of $94.4 million is left on his contract and he signed a 2 year extension in July 2022 worth $122 million. Lillard will be 37 years old by the last year of his full contract tenure. He will have a player option which is estimated to be worth $63.2 million. It is hard to see Dame not choosing that option, so the Bucks will be paying their newest acquisition $45.6 million, 47.7 million, $58.5 million and $63.2 million in the consecutive seasons from 2023-24 to the 2026-27 season. The total amount adds up to a staggering $215 million.
What do you think of CJ McCollum’s opinion on Damian Lillard’s move to the Bucks? Do you think Dame is getting paid good for the services he is about to provide? We are eager to know you thoughts, so drop them in the comments section and share with us.
