The Damian Lillard domino finally toppled Wednesday, when the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a stunning move to acquire the superstar guard less than a week before training camp opens.
The three-team blockbuster — which also sent Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara and draft picks to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Grayson Allen to the Phoenix Suns — comes after the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors were previously reported as possible landing spots for Lillard. And it provides another jolt to a competitive Eastern Conference surrounding the 76ers, who are still in limbo thanks to a disgruntled James Harden.
That uncertainty means it’s still difficult to assess where the heck this massive transaction leaves the Sixers in the conference’s preseason pecking order. Still, the Lillard news presents an appropriate time to reset how the other East contenders spent their offseason.
Milwaukee Bucks
— Biggest offseason move: Acquiring Lillard as part of a three-team trade.
Even before the big swing for Dame, the Bucks made notable moves following their shocking first-round playoff exit as the conference’s No. 1 seed. Milwaukee hired Adrian Griffin, a first-time NBA head coach, to replace Mike Budenholzer. They also re-signed No. 2 scorer Khris Middleton and defensive anchor Brook Lopez.
Still, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo went on the record with The New York Times last month as saying that he didn’t know if he would sign a contract extension with the Bucks unless he was certain that “everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
Swapping Holiday — an All-Star last season and perimeter defensive menace whose contract has a player option for next season — for the bucket-getting Lillard reinforces that the Bucks are title-or-bust.
And that makes the Sixers’ Oct. 26 opener in Milwaukee even more interesting.
Boston Celtics
— Biggest offseason move: Acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards as part of three-team trade that sent Marcus Smart to Memphis Grizzlies.
The team that embarrassed the Sixers in Game 7 of their second-round playoff exit has cornerstones Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown locked up, after Brown signed a five-year supermax extension this summer. But Boston also said goodbye to a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Smart, who was regarded as the heart and soul of this Celtics era.
Porzingis is coming off a terrific season with the Wizards, posting a career-high 23.2 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting. His acquisition signals that the Celtics continue to shift from the defense-first philosophy under former coach Ime Udoka to Joe Mazzulla’s approach that is more tailored toward offense.
Porzingis shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range, and his floor-spacing should open up driving lanes for Tatum and Brown. But the big man has also battled health issues throughout his career, and has never played for a championship contender.
Miami Heat
— Biggest offseason move: Missing out on Lillard.
This was the presumed Lillard destination for months after his desire to take his talents to South Beach became public. Yet the Heat never put together an attractive enough trade package to complete a deal, and momentum stalled for months until Wednesday’s trade.
Miami still has All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo from its impressive Finals run. But the Heat also lost key role players Gabe Vincent and Max Strus in free agency. The Heat’s other moves: re-signing Kevin Love, signing center Thomas Bryant, and signing Josh Richardson. Former Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, meanwhile, returns to the Heat after his name circulated in trade speculation for months.
Cleveland Cavaliers
— Biggest offseason move: Signing Max Strus.
The Cavaliers were responsible for one of last offseason’s significant bombs, trading for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in September.
There were no such fireworks this year. Their intriguing core — Mitchell and Darius Garland in the backcourt, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt — remains from a team coming off its first playoff berth since 2018.
Cleveland strengthened its depth and shooting by signing Strus and former Sixer Georges Niang.
New York Knicks
— Biggest offseason move: Re-signing Josh Hart
The Knicks also had a quieter offseason after signing talented guard Jalen Brunson last summer. Besides re-signing Hart, they also further fostered a Villanova pipeline by adding Donte DiVincenzo.
It’s reasonable to conclude that the Knicks are primarily setting up for the future, compiling assets that could be used to lure the next disgruntled superstar to New York.
Story by Gina Mizell, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.
