Bucks Pitted Against West Contenders for Damian Lillard Replacement amid Emotional Outburst

It was supposed to be the perfect heist. A blockbuster trade, a superstar guard, and a championship blueprint so clean you could frame it in Fiserv Forum. But just like that, Damian Lillard is gone. Back to Portland. Back to the franchise he once outgrew. And now? Milwaukee’s war room looks less like a think tank and more like a panic room.

The exit was quiet, but the fallout is loud. Cam Thomas didn’t plan on becoming the league’s most divisive offseason name. Yet here he is, right at the intersection of desperate contenders and exploding X feeds. NBA insider Kevin O’Connor took to X and lit the fuse: “Which teams should go after Cam Thomas?” Hours later, he doubled down with an even spicier follow-up. “Denver and Milwaukee would be at the top of my list,” O’Connor posted, adding that if he were Thomas, he’d “even take less money on a short-term deal” to join them. Why?

Because Lillard left a crater. His stint with Milwaukee will be remembered less for banners than for what-ifs. He gave them 24.9 points per game, 7.1 assists, and a handful of deep clutch bombs. But he also gave them a mid-season slump, a scheme fit that never really fit, and a playoff absence when it mattered most. He was brilliant… sometimes. But in a lineup that already had Giannis Antetokounmpo, the overlapping lanes, inconsistent pacing, and usage tug-of-war turned the Bucks into a team that always felt one puzzle piece short. But wait.

Take less money? In 2025? For a 23-year-old who just averaged 24.0 points per game? That’s not how it usually goes, right? Unless, of course, the goal is something bigger than stats. O’Connor’s idea isn’t about economics. It’s about rewriting the narrative. In his eyes, Thomas needs a setting where winning silences the skepticism.

“The consensus? F*** you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA. This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball. Why are we double teaming a guy who’s ‘not that good’? Make it make sense please.” This isn’t just free agency. This is performance art. So could Milwaukee really be the stage?

Post-Lillard Milwaukee is trying to reimagine

With Damian Lillard gone, the need is glaring. Giannis is 30. The Milwaukee Bucks ranked 11th in offensive rating this season. And they just got bounced by a Pacers team that had no business out-shooting them in the 2025 playoffs. Cam might not be the floor-spacing decision-maker Lillard was, but he brings something the Bucks haven’t had in years.

Unfiltered, unrepentant shot creation. And when that comes from a guy with something to prove and tweets to delete, well, you lean in. And yes, it’s tempting to look for a Lillard clone. A seasoned guard with pull-up gravity and playoff pedigree. But the Bucks aren’t shopping at the same store anymore. They tried the big swing. It didn’t land. Now they’re hunting upside. Volume. Scoring bursts that can go nuclear on any given Tuesday. Cam Thomas, for all his defensive flaws, does that.

He has dropped 40+ in three straight games. He had multiple 30-point games. And despite playing in the Brooklyn Nets‘ offense with more chaos than cohesion, he still hit 36% from deep. And let’s not forget that this would be a short-term deal, per O’Connor’s suggestion. A high-risk, high-reward rental that lets Milwaukee or Denver Nuggets, for that matter, experiment without over-committing. Worst case? They get a fun regular season and an early playoff exit, like they just had with Dame. Best case? They find lightning in a bottle and remind the East that Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t need a traditional co-star to make noise. But of course, the Nets can match that offer.

But Thomas seems ready to move on. He’s tweeting like a man done with the PR finesse. And if Milwaukee offers a clear role, playoff exposure, and a chance to clap back at the league’s so-called consensus? That might just be enough. Because Cam isn’t chasing stats anymore. He’s chasing something bigger. And with Lillard gone, so are the Bucks. The stage is empty. The spotlight is hot. All that’s missing is the flamethrower. And now Cam’s already lit the match.