Stephen A. Smith thinks Damian Lillard might be one-and-done in Milwaukee.
Smith was speaking on ESPN’s “First Take” with Shannon Sharpe on Monday as the Bucks prepare to face the Pacers in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
“If Milwaukee loses, I think you need to consider moving Dame up and out of there,” Smith said.
Sharpe protested, “But he just got there!”
“I’m not talking about his game. He’s not happy there,” Smith responded.
“He’s got a lot of distractions, which are his business, and we wish him nothing but the best, because a lot of us would not be able to handle it as well as he’s handling it.
“But nevertheless, whatever support system you’re looking for … It’s one of those situations where if you are not happy in a situation, albeit because of outside reasons, and I know he wanted to go to Miami, let’s call it what it is, you got all of that going on, that’s a lot to deal with.”
Smith emphasized that it was not about basketball, but what Lillard is going through “psychologically” with his personal life.
Smith did not indicate he had inside intel on this on this opinion.
Lillard opened up to Sports Illustrated reporter Chris Mannix earlier this season about how hard the transition to Milwaukee had been for him from a personal perspective with so many of his friends and family, including his children, still living in Portland.
“It’s definitely lonely because I’m such a family guy,” Lillard said at the time. “My life is my family. After games, I would come out and my whole family would be back there. My kids coming out of the playroom. My mom, my brother, my cousins lived there, you know what I mean?”
Lillard filed for divorce from his wife, Kay’La, last October.
From a basketball perspective, the Bucks have had a rocky road this season.
Lillard was traded to Milwaukee right before training camp, so he had to move on a dime.
During the preseason, head coach Adrian Griffin butted heads with assistant coach Terry Stotts, who was close with Lillard in Portland, and Stotts resigned.
Then Griffin was fired in the middle of his first season on the job, and replaced by Doc Rivers, who installed new offensive and defensive systems on the fly.