NBA rumors: Celtics chasing Holiday, Siakam extension talk, Giannis and Lillard planned to team up

NBA rumors: Giannis and Damian Lillard talked about teaming for a while

According to Chris Haynes, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about teaming up for years before Lillard was traded to the Bucks. The holdup was that neither player wanted to leave their original team. Obviously, over the last couple of months, the relationship between the Trail Blazers and Lillard fell apart.

For now, it seems like both players are very excited about the future of the squad. Still, things could go downhill fast if the Bucks are unable to make up for the lack of depth on the bench.

This could end up being the thing that saves the Bucks from losing Antekounmpo down the line. Even if this partnership isn't working and Lillard thinks about requesting a trade at the deadline, this was worth it for the Bucks. The team was heading towards a future where they might lose the best player in franchise history in free agency or by him requesting a trade.

At the very least, the Bucks are trying to keep Antekounmpo by trading for Lillard. A couple of years ago, the Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday to entice the Greek Freak to stay long-term. If the partnership between Lillard and Antetokoumpo works, this could be something that allows the Bucks to keep their franchise player for his entire career.