It’s no secret Damian Lillard wanted to be somewhere else before the Portland Trail Blazers traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks. Strangely enough, almost everyone didn’t know how lonely he was after that move, particularly his teammate, Bobby Portis.

Mar 14, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (22) drives towards the basket between Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) and guard Damian Lillard (0) during the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

During the previous offseason, the Bucks acquired Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns. In exchange, Milwaukee sent out Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and a couple of draft picks to get the All-Star point guard.

Feb 15, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Santi Aldama (7) defends during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
The wisdom of this move is to pair an elite shot creator in the backcourt with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and give the Bucks another option to close games for them. This resulted in one of the league’s sixth-best offense with both Dame and the Greek Freak pushing Milwaukee to a high seed in the Eastern Conference.

While the pair worked well indeed on the court, there were other factors that prevented Milwaukee from dominating the East. For one, the front office’s abrupt decision to fire Adrian Griffin shifted the team’s momentum. It became worse when Doc Rivers didn’t exactly coach the team to more victories than his successor. Eventually, the team soldiered on until they were eliminated in the first round by the Indiana Pacers.

Bobby Portis Surprised Over Damian Lillard Being Lonely After Milwaukee Bucks Trade

May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) catches the ball while Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) defends during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Before he was traded to Milwaukee, Lillard made it known that he prefers to be traded to the Miami Heat. Turns out that the move that brought him to the Bucks wasn’t the welcome parade everyone thought it would be, including Bobby Portis. In an interview conducted and posted by FanDuel on their YouTube account, the veteran big man admitted he had no knowledge about how how his teammate felt all season long.

“Chandler Parsons: He did say he was lonely in Milwaukee.

Bobby Portis: He said he was lonely in Milwaukee?

Chandler Parsons: Yeah he said you guys didn’t invite him to the kids birthday parties, he said he was lonely in Milwaukee.

Bobby Portis: I guess I don’t know man, I’m not going to say he was lonely.

Lou Williams: No he said it out loud.

Bobby Portis: he said he was lonely?

Lou Williams: yes look it up.

Bobby Portis: No he didn’t bro.

Lou Williams: When you get off of here, look it up. He said that.

Bobby Portis: Oh my gosh, it probably was too cold out there at first, you know how it is in the Midwest man, you know. Shams has been living in the Midwest his whole life, he’s a Midwest guy man, he’s a Chicago guy man. You know how it is off that Lake Michigan man, it might bring you to tears your walking outside man,”

As it stands, Lillard still has three years left in his contract with the option to opt out of it during the 2026-27 season. Unless the Bucks trade him soon or he requests one, it looks like the point guard is going to stay in Milwaukee.
Apr 7, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) puts up a shot against New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Hopefully, Lillard has gotten used to his current situation and adapted to it better than a year ago. Doing so would result in a better performance soon from the point guard on the court.

Apr 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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