Bucks News: Stephen A. Smith Demands “Unhappy” Damian Lillard’s Trade to Avoid $25 Million Embarrassment

Milwaukee Bucks lost their chance to move further on the playoff list. As Bucks point guard Damian Lillard‘s injury took much time, the series slipped through his team by then. It has been a roller coaster of a year for Dame since he got traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Bucks mid-season. Furthermore, he had an Achilles injury recently. However, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith recently noted that Damian Lillard is not suitable for the Bucks either.

Speaking on the ESPN show First Take, Smith emphasized, “My belief is that they [Bucks] should trade Damian Lillard.” Though he acknowledged Lillard’s worth as a player and called him “spectacular,” Smith explained that he is not young anymore. Backing this statement, he gave two reasons for Damian Lillard’s ouster. “They [Dame and Giannis] don’t have free agent capabilities,” was his first take.

Ultimately, due to cap restrictions, the Bucks can not maneuver Damian Lillard well in the upcoming season. Moreover, the second reason Stephen gave was how Dame inserted his personal business into the professional world after his Game-6 loss. When Damian mentioned how his life was ‘a bit rough’ in a post-match presser, Stephen A. Smith took it as a way of saying that Dame is not happy at the Bucks. Therefore, Smith advised him to look ‘somewhere else’ if he was not happy away from Portland.

However, the claim that Stephen made regarding Lillard’s ‘unhappiness’ seems not to be true as the Bucks star denied it himself. During an interview, Lillard replied to Smith’s remark, noting, “Let them say whatever they’re going to say positive or negative.” Considering Dame’s tough personal conditions, it is best to let him off for now. The Bucks point guard further said how people are not accountable for their public statements. But he can reply with his game and do what he “got to do.”

Though the Bucks star seems to have no problem with the team, his squad is in trouble for a monetary problem. Moreover, Lillard’s omission might be the only solution to this problem.

Will Damian Lillard prove the Bucks’ over-cap investment right?

Dame just signed last year with the Milwaukee Bucks and is under contract until 2027. Moreover, he will have a player option in 2026–27 at the age of 36. After going through the digits of the contract, it can be concluded that the Bucks have invested a lot of their money in Lillard. If the point guard doesn’t prove fruitful, it might become a disaster for the team. For the 2023–24 season, Damian will get paid about $35 million, which is set to increase to about $48 million next year.

The Bucks are already under luxury tax pressure due to the violation of the NBA salary cap, for which they faced a $25 million penalty. In the absence of a promising performance, there will be no meaning to the investment. Dame’s performance is not something that one has to worry about. He has averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists this season.

Lillard’s stats are great, considering the coaching staff changes at the Bucks. But the consistency that the team needed from Lillard at the crucial time of the playoff is still not checked. Due to this, Lillard might seem like a liability for Bucks fans. Nonetheless, there is always scope for a comeback, and many hope that Dame Lillard proves his worth to his new abode with a stellar performance next season.