The Damian Lillard era is over for the Portland Trail Blazers, as they have agreed to send him to the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster three-team trade.
Lillard played 11 seasons for them, and in some ways, they were very frustrating seasons, as the Blazers made it to the Western Conference Finals only once during that time, getting swept by the Golden State Warriors in their lone appearance.
But at the same time, Lillard is one of the very best players in franchise history, and he is behind possibly only Clyde Drexler and Bill Walton on their list of greatest stars to ever wear their uniform.
The Blazers took to their official Twitter account to post a video that pays respect to the seven-time All-Star and his contributions to the franchise, via NBACentral.
Portland’s tribute for Damian Lillard pic.twitter.com/iXBPmYFduX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 28, 2023
Portland took Lillard with the No. 6 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft at a time in which it was dealing with the ruins of the failed Greg Oden-Brandon Roy experiment.
Lillard became an All-Star in just his second season, and that year, he hit an iconic buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets, which seemed to announce he had become the league’s newest crunch-time star.
In his 11 seasons in Portland, Lillard averaged 25.2 points and 6.7 assists a game, and he is coming off his best statistical season in which he put up 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per contest.
He will finally get a shot at winning his first NBA championship by teaming up with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and a strong supporting cast in Wisconsin.
NEXT: NBA Star Claps Back At Those Criticizing Blazers Over Damian Lillard Trade
