“I was told that Dame found out about his situation just like everybody else found out. So you can read into that as you may, but at the end of the day, he’s going to be a free agent for the first time ever in his career. He’s going to have the opportunity to choose his own team,” said NBA reporter Chris Haynes in a recent segment on NBA TV. It was certainly a shock for Milwaukee Bucks fans to see the 2nd-best player be discarded by the team, and that too while he continues to recover from a torn Achilles he sustained during the playoffs. The upside is that the star can now go to a team of his liking that would approach him. However, has Lillard already made the decision and decided to team up with Stephen Curry and Co.?

According to an X page carrying NBA reporter Chris Haynes’ handle, Damian Lillard has signed a 3 year, 28 million deal with the Golden State Warriors! It is mentioned that this deal also includes a team option, a fact that was ‘told’ to the owner of the X handle by ‘league sources’. Any other day, this report would have broken the internet. However, not today. After all, at the end, the individual also mentioned that “Lillard and Steph Curry will now team up in the Golden State backcourt in my 2k my league”. A trade has happened, but in the X user’s video game, and not in real life!

A closer look at the report would reveal that it wasn’t put out by Chris B. Haynes. The main page carries the name ‘Chris Hayne’, as opposed to the OG Chris Haynes. And the handle is @ChrissBHaynes, while our senior NBA insider’s handle is @ChrisBHaynes. While the real Chris B Haynes commands over 606,588 followers, this one has only around 2,349 followers. And if that isn’t enough, this user’s X bio reads: “Brother of Chris Haynes / Not affiliated with Chris Haynes / 2K My League updates”

The user has played the trick of reporting some news that would make someone skip a heartbeat. Only to then add ‘in my 2K roster’, multiple times. After the Damian Lillard news, he ‘reported’ that the Bucks are trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the New York Knicks “in my 2k my league simulation”. Later, he said the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant has been suspended after he left the team’s hotel numerous times to attend nightclubs with a game the following day, “in my 2k”. As if having parody pages like ‘NBA Centel’ and ‘Scams Charania’ or ‘Sharms Charania’ weren’t enough, now there is another one to avoid when scrolling through the X feed for NBA-related news.

As reported by Tobias Bass, Eric Nehm, John Hollinger, and Sam Amick, the Bucks front office was prioritizing big moves to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo in a competitive situation. After all, rumors that the ‘Greek Freak’s alleged dissatisfaction with the team might cause his exit were running rampant. Damian Lillard tearing his left Achilles was a major blow. It prevented the team from being a true contender in the Eastern Conference next season. The veteran being waived created enough space for the team to acquire Myles Turner.

Fortunately, not only does Damian Lillard not hate the Bucks over this decision, he is reportedly “elated”, since he gets both money and the freedom to pick his new team.

In short, Damian Lillard has not been traded to the Warriors. However, the franchise is reportedly interested in the 34-year-old. If the Warriors want to convert Chris Hayne’s 2K trade into reality, they better move quickly, since the team has competition.

Which teams are interested in Damian Lillard?

According to ‘The Athletic’, “several contending teams” reached out to Damian Lillard’s camp after the player was waived. As of now, the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers are all interested in quickly finalizing a deal.

Neither of the 3 teams is in immediate need of a point guard. The Warriors have Stephen Curry, the Lakers have Luka Dončić, and the Celtics gave a four-year extension to Derrick White in the last off-season. Nevertheless, Curry and LeBron James will be gone in a few years from now, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s current injury woes raise worry. Therefore, investing in Damian Lillard is investing in an offensive force that can be utilized well in the future. The sharpshooting veteran will almost certainly not make his debut with his next team until the 2026-27 campaign, and his ability after a serious injury is entirely unknown.

After Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard is considered to be among the best 3-point shooters in the modern NBA. He accumulated 197 of them in the recent season and averaged 3.4-9.0 (37.6%) 3-pointers along with 7.7-17.1 (44.8%) field goals and 6.2-6.8 (92.1%) free throws. Therefore, when paired up, he and Stephen Curry would be a power-house.

On top of that, Lillard might very well be the superstar that Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office are looking to pair with Doncic as soon as next summer. If Lillard is taken by the Celtics, then the partnership between him, Tatum, and Brown could create the next ‘Big 3’ in the NBA.

As of now, the world is Lillard’s oyster. Whatever he chooses to scoop up will be an interesting choice, giving the player the foundation to add on to his already impressive legacy.