Damian Lillard’s agent took an apparent shot at the Milwaukee Bucks following the star guard’s return to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lillard’s longtime agent Aaron Goodwin suggested that Lillard’s failure to perform to his peak abilities in Milwaukee had to do with the team’s system. Goodwin suggested that the Bucks did not play to Lillard’s strengths, and that he sacrificed for the good of the team.
“He never really had an opportunity to play as he has played the first 12 years of his career,” Goodwin told Jamal Collier of ESPN. “He played to win in the system that he was in.”
Lillard’s scoring numbers did drop after being traded to Milwaukee, but that was inevitable now that he was sharing the stage with Giannis Antetokounmpo. In two seasons with the Bucks, he still averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, but the Bucks never quite meshed as a unit. His latest severe injury ultimately gave the Bucks reason to move on as they try to maximize their championship window.
Based on Lillard’s reaction to being waived by the Bucks, it is pretty clear that he never completely settled into Milwaukee. His move back to Portland, in that context, may not be all that surprising after all.
