“Went to a Smaller Market”: NBA Analyst Believes Damian Lillard’s Decision to Play Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo Contradicts His Demands

Damian Lillard‘s move to the Milwaukee Bucks has been received with divisive opinions in the league from analysts and fans. Moreover, analyst Skip Bayless, who has never been one to shy away from giving his two cents, while talking about Dame’s latest deal, on his show ‘Undisputed’, stated that this isn’t exactly fruitful for the 33-year-old. As per his analogy, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. are a small market team, and playing with a bigger fish in a small market is counterproductive for Lillard.

While Dame’s trade to the Bucks has also been lauded as the one that comes with a championship chance, Bayless’ argument highlights a possible tussle for power. Moreover, after Lillard openly confessed his desire to play with Jimmy Butler in Miami, there have been talks about whether the PG really wanted this deal.

Skip Bayless criticizes Damian Lillard-Bucks trade

In his latest episode of Undisputed, Skip Bayless talked about the prospect of Dame teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. He stated that Lillard has moved from a small market team to an even smaller market team. He explained that there are twenty-eight TV markets in the league where Portland is at 20th and the Bucks are down at 25th. This means that he moved to a smaller market than what Portland had to offer.

He said,

“So he went from being a big fish in a little pond to joining a bigger fish in an even smaller pond…He actually went to a smaller market than he has been “stuck” in Portland.”

.@RealSkipBayless weighs in on the Damian Lillard-Bucks trade: pic.twitter.com/uPkHrxtpuR

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) September 28, 2023

Bayless added that it might be a good trade in the longer run but he doesn’t think that it’s a great move in a shorter term. He further went on to praise Jrue Holiday and his defensive skills by stating, “He is a baller and nobody is gonna disagree with this because he defends at the highest level”. Furthermore, he also thinks differently about trading Holiday away from the Bucks.

Skip Bayless thinks Jrue Holiday is more important than Dame for the Bucks

In a recent tweet on X, Bayless made it clear that the Bucks trading Holiday away and acquiring Dame instead has made the team “a little worse”. Holiday was acquired by the franchise in 2020 and led the team to a title win. With a defensive rating of 112.4, last season, Holiday has surely been a force at the defensive end of the Bucks.

Seeing from Dame’s perspective, Bayless’ arguments make sense given he is already 33 years old and without a ring. Moving to a smaller market might influence his star rating as well as his impact on the league. On the other hand, Dame’s shooting geniuses tied up with one of the most refined defensive sides in the league is surely a recipe for the title run. It will be an interesting watch.