Now that Damian Lillard is a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, he ended up admitting that Pat Connaughton played a huge role in influencing his decision. As a result, some fans feel that Dame could get in trouble for engaging in tampering.
As most of us should be aware, Lillard was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers at the end of last season. However, he shared his desire to be traded and soon many teams across the league began expressing their interest in acquiring Dame.
Although we never knew that the Bucks would emerge at the last moment and acquire Lillard, that is exactly what ended up happening. While fans would assume that the Bucks’ management got the job done, Dame recently revealed a whole new personal angle to the trade. That said, let us take a closer look and find out more.
Damian Lillard admits that Pat Connaughton helped link him to Giannis Antetokounmpo
To the fans who do not know, Pat Connaughton has been in the league for almost a decade now. He started his career with the Portland Trail Blazers and spent 3 seasons with the team. However, he is best known for the past 6 years with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Pat Connaughton started a group chat with Giannis and Dame to recruit Dame to Milwaukee
Elite recruiter 😅🔥
(🎥 @PlayersTribune )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 20, 2023
Dame explained that Pat was the middleman between him and Giannis since he knew Pat from his time as a Blazers rookie. Lillard went into detail and even revealed that Connaughton organized a three-man group chat with him and Giannis to push forward a trade.
Upon hearing this, fans were quick to point out that Lillard might get in trouble for engaging in tampering, “Incoming fine for tampering.” After all, Dame was likely still with the Portland Trail Blazers and interested in joining the Miami Heat when this group chat was active.
Incoming fine for tampering
— China (@chinafromchinaa) November 20, 2023
In any case, Lillard is now with the Bucks, and a small fine for admitting an unknown backstory is certainly bearable. However, greater questions regarding the Milwaukee Bucks’ goals for this season continue to linger among the basketball community.
Can Dame and Giannis help the Milwaukee Bucks win another title?
Fans will certainly remember that Giannis Antetokounmpo managed to lead the Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021. The team rushed to acquire Dame after the Greek Freak expressed his growing displeasure with the team’s inability to surround him with sufficient talent.
Now that Lillard is on the Bucks, the team undoubtedly has enough firepower and talent to win an NBA title this season. At the moment, the Bucks hold a record of 10 wins and 4 losses, indicating that they have gotten off to a good start.
Be that as it may, this team will be judged by how deep they go into the playoffs. Given that Lillard is already 33 years old, one could argue that this is a championship or bust season for the Bucks. Although they certainly have a good chance to win a title, injuries and other variables will influence their odds of winning an NBA championship.