Damian Lillard (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Milwaukee Bucks superstars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been widely mentioned in trade rumors in the early stages of the 2024-25 season, though the team hasn’t at all indicated that they’d consider moving either player.

After a disastrous 2-8 start to the season, the Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo super duo have rallied the Bucks back to .500. Now winners of five straight, the Bucks occupy the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just 2.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the third seed.

If they sustain this championship-caliber play, there’s no way the Bucks will realistically consider dealing any of their All-Star players. But if they fail to maintain this recent dominance, GM Jon Horst just might be open for business.

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a mammoth three-team trade proposal that has Milwaukee sending Damian Lillard to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal involving the Detroit Pistons.

In Swartz’s proposal, Lillard would go to the Lakers, with Milwaukee getting D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick from the Purple and Gold. To make the dollars work, the Pistons would get Christian Wood and a 2025-second round pick from Los Angeles:

“A Big 3 of James, Lillard and Anthony Davis may be the best in the NBA, especially since the former is still putting up regular triple-doubles as he approaches age 40. Los Angeles would still have Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish and others with extra roster spots available to chase buyout candidates.

Depth has been a major issue for Milwaukee, and the Bucks would suddenly be quite deep around their two-time MVP with Reaves, Hachimura and Russell joining Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr. and others.

Since the Bucks are a second-apron tax team and the Lakers are right up against the second apron themselves, the Pistons are used as a third team to help facilitate the trade by taking on Wood’s contract.”

The Lakers were long mentioned as a possible landing spot for Damian Lillard after signing LeBron James in 2018 free agency, before the Bucks acquired Lillard last year. The Lakers found their second game-changer by acquiring Anthony Davis via trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, but the lack of a third superstar has prevented them from building off their 2020 NBA championship run.

Damian Lillard Would Make Lakers The Title Favorites

Though James and Davis are still playing at elite levels, it’s obvious the Lakers need more scoring help for their injury-prone and ageing tandem. If they could somehow land Lillard, Los Angeles would emerge as the favorites to win the 2025 NBA championship.