Giannis Antetokounmpo Rumors: Discussed playing with Damian Lillard?

Before Giannis Antetokounmpo signed his supermax extension this offseason, he was reportedly in close contact with Damian Lillard about playing together.

Thankfully, Giannis Antetokounmpo inked a five-year supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason to close the door on any speculation involving his future.

Before Antetokounmpo committed, however, they were a handful of suitors prepared to make a run at the two-time MVP the second he entered free agency in 2021. While the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Golden State Warriors were among the most prominent names in the mix, the Portland Trail Blazers were reportedly a dark horse candidate to target the Greek Freak.

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Recently speaking on the Posted Up podcast, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Blazers were an under-the-radar destination for Giannis, and it stemmed from his budding relationship with Portland’s Damian Lillard.

As transcribed by David Deckard and Adrian Bernecich SB Nation’s Blazers Edge:

"“If Giannis were to leave Milwaukee, I’m talking about this past summer, before he signed the max extension. If the team didn’t make the necessary moves to make Giannis feel comfortable, I believe there was a team that he would have considered leaving for, and that team is the Portland Trail Blazers. Sources have told me that Giannis and Damian Lillard, they’ve gotten really close over the last few months. And they were talking about working out together.I want to explain how important that is to everybody. Giannis doesn’t workout with anybody that’s not on his team. He’s turned down working out with LeBron James and turned down being part of the Space Jam 2 movie. He doesn’t do that. Him and Dame were supposed to work out.”"

While a pairing of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard would be nightmarish for the rest of the league, it is likely nothing more than a pipe dream for now.

Lillard has built up a reputation as one of the premier point guards in the league today, and much like Antetokounmpo, he has remained loyal to a small-market franchise. The pair reportedly had an admiration for each other, and even went as far as to discuss what it would be like playing side-by-side:

"“I’m trying to be careful how I’m saying this, I don’t want to get to saying it’s recruiting. But sources have told me that both of them were talking with each other about the possibility of what it would look like playing with each other, you know, when their contracts allowed so. I believe Dame was trying to tell Giannis about what it would look like him playing in Portland and same, visa versa, what it would look like him playing in Milwaukee.”"

Lillard’s current deal expires at the conclusion of this coming season, but a four-year extension immediately kicks in that will keep him locked in with Portland for the next several years. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo signed a five-year extension that will also keep him in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future.

Lillard will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 season, the same offseason that Antetokounmpo holds a player option worth $51.9 million. If that desire to potentially play together is still lingering at that point, things become more feasible.

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However, Dame and Giannis are two superstar talents that have advocated the importance of loyalty to their respective franchises and that’s where they’ll stay for the time being. Still quite a dream pairing to think about certainly.

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