Carmelo Anthony shared some profane advice with his former teammate Damian Lillard.
Lillard was traded from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks this past offseason in a massive stunner, not necessarily because Lillard was no longer in Portland, but because Milwaukee had not been among the heavily rumored destinations.
Anthony, who played with Lillard on the Blazers for two seasons from 2019-21, appeared on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast and revealed what he told Lillard before the blockbuster trade.
“We spoke. I was telling Dame, ‘Man get the f–k out here [Portland],” Anthony said, laughing, as covered by ClutchPoints.
“It wasn’t like a knock to Portland but it was, ‘Champ, you in the same situation I was in, in Denver. Our loyalty gonna kill us — It’s gonna kill us!’ What do we have to see or know to make the decision? For me they had to hit rock bottom for it to be like, ‘Alright I’m gonna go.’
Warning: Explicit language
“So I’ve been telling Dame that, and finally, he was like, ‘My loyalty is stamped in Portland.’ They better put a statue of Dame in Portland. It’s that deep of a connection. But [I] was telling him, ‘You gotta go’ because I knew what was gonna happen.”
Anthony continued that he advised Lillard to get out before “the narrative changed” and the Blazers fans turned against him in a rebuild.
Lillard, who had played his entire 11-year career in Portland, joined a Bucks team that included stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
The trade was ultimately a three-team deal that also involved the Suns.
The Blazers got Jrue Holiday, DeAndre Ayton, Toumani Camara, the right to swap picks with the Bucks in 2028 and 2030, plus a 2029 unprotected Bucks first-rounder.
The Suns, meanwhile, got back Jusuf Nurkic, Keon Johnson, Grayson Allen and Nassir Little.
The Blazers turned around and traded Holiday to the Celtics.
Lillard is averaging 26.3 points and 7.0 assists for the Bucks this season, and Milwaukee is 20-7, one game behind the Celtics for best record in the Eastern Conference.
Credit: Source link
