On December 24, Beijing time, former NBA superstar Melon Anthony was interviewed by the media and once again talked about the offseason star Lillard forcing the Trail Blazers to trade to join the Bucks: "
Actually, I talked to him about it at the time, and I told him about my experience, that if you want to win the championship, you have to join a team in time because he was in the same situation as me, but obviously I made a decision too late!"
"I also told him that loyalty will end up killing you and that it's pointless, that you need to win championships to prove yourself, not to stay on a team, you have to make a choice, go for a championship!"
On September 28, 2023, the NBA Trail Blazers, Suns, and Bucks announced that they had reached a deal, and the specific transaction plan is:
The Trail Blazers sent Lillard, Little, Nurkic and Keon Johnson for Holiday (from the Bucks), Ayton (from the Suns), Kamara (from the Suns), a 2029 first-round pick from the Bucks, and a 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swap for the Bucks.
The Bucks sent Holiday and Garrison Allen, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swap to get Lillard (from the Trail Blazers).
The Suns sent Ayton and Kamara to Nurkic (from the Trail Blazers), Little (from the Trail Blazers), Keon Johnson (from the Trail Blazers) and Garrison Allen (from the Bucks)
In this way, the Bucks directly formed the inside and outside duo of Lillard + Antetokounmpo through this deal. Lillard was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2012 as the sixth overall pick and spent 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers, where he was a seven-time All-Star, a seven-time All-Star selection, and a member of the NBA's 75 superstar team.
So far in the regular season of the new season, Lillard has played for the Bucks, playing an average of 35.4 minutes per game, scoring 25.7 points + 4.5 rebounds + 6.8 assists + 1.0 steals + 0.2 blocks, shooting 42.0% from the field, 36.0% from three-point range, and 92.0% from the free throw line. He and Lillard currently lead the team to a 21-7 record, which is second in the East.