Manifesting a Career-Long Retention for $70 Million Rich Player, Charles Barkley Echoes Concerns About Damian Lillard?s Probable ?Crap? Future

During his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard was climbing an unfortunate list. While the names on that list are some all-time greats and Hall of Famers, the caveat remains unfortunate. The greatest players to never win a ring. But, after the recent trade, Dame has a chance to flip that script. Instead, he has a chance to go down as one of the greatest point guards ever. Even though a member of that list, Charles Barkley was glad to see Dame have a shot at potentially escaping it.

Further, it could also help out his new team in glorious ways.

Charles Barkley on the Dame trade

Appearing on the Dan Patrick show, the Philadelphia 76ers legend was in peak opinion-sharing mode. Whether it be the ongoing NFL season or the NBA offseason, the Chuckster wasn’t shy in diving in. So, discussing the biggest trade of the summer was a guarantee from the Hall of Famer. Despite his earlier reservations, Barkley made an exception this time around for one simple reason.

“I pull for Dame to win the championship. I pull for guys who haven’t won the championship to win the championship. Because the one thing you don’t want to be. You don’t want to be on the crap list…Guys say great, great player, but he never won anything…I’m on that list. Me, Karl [Malone], and Patrick [Ewing], and those guys who are all great Hall of Fame players. But it sucks when people try to minimalize your achievements, so I really hope Dame can get him a championship in Milwaukee.”?

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This comes after Charles’ initial refusal to buy into the trade demand from Lillard. However, the 11x All-Star made it clear that his main problem was Dame singling out the Miami Heat. According to the former MVP, that was an unfair request as it did not allow Portland to make the best move possible, and instead take “pennies on the dollar.”?

Further, the Round Mound of Rebound also had his focus on the future of a certain Greek Freak in Milwaukee.

The ramifications in Milwaukee

According to Chuck, the situation could detail an end to the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga in Milwaukee. The entire situation got out of hand after Giannis told reporters that his future in Milwaukee wasn’t certain if the organization didn’t show his level of commitment to competing for titles.

That demand and the trade in its aftermath do seem to have a direct causality. Speaking on the matter, Chuck told Dan, “The big winners were the Milwaukee Bucks…I hope it keeps Giannis in Milwaukee his entire career.”?

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With a revamped roster and the best teammate he’s ever had, the $70 million worth Antetokounmpo has to be a satisfied customer. Now, the question becomes: Can Dame and the Greek Freak lead the team to a championship?