Despite all the speculation that Damian Lillard would eventually play for the Miami Heat, the superstar guard was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the Heat’s main Eastern Conference opponents.
Following the Milwaukee Bucks’ 127-110 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, Damian Lillard had one of his worst games ever, registering six points on 2-of-12 shooting with six turnovers. He is one of the most sought-after guards in the NBA.
Spoelstra on Bucks with Lillard, “You expect teams to try to upgrade.”
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 30, 2023
The Miami Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said some positive words regarding Dame and Pat Riley’s Bucks, “Basically the teams have been battling at the top of the East and in the playoffs have been the same teams for the last four years,” he said, “and you expect teams to try to upgrade and get competitive.”
It remains to be seen how the Bucks and Heat fair in the NBA this season respectively. Many people will be keeping an eye on the Bucks as they have a star pairing in Dame and Giannis. The Heat too won’t be bothered with what happened in the summer as they have a star pairing in Butler and Adebayo.
Why did Damian Lillard’s trade move to the Miami Heat fail?
Damian Lillard only wanted to go to the Miami Heat when he first requested a trade. He felt the team had placed him in a strong position to contend for a championship, and he has a strong connection with Bam Adebayo. But it seems Portland never really took their business relationship with the Heat seriously.
Shams Charania provided an analysis of the deal, including the discussions involving the Trail Blazers and Heat. He mentioned that Portland had wanted Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler in return for Lillard when talks first started.
How the Damian Lillard-Bucks blockbuster came together amid Lillard working out at Blazers practice facility over past two weeks, an ongoing public and behind-scenes saga, and Milwaukee changing the NBA landscape again.
At @TheAthletic with @sam_amick: https://t.co/Acb1XOHKXn
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 28, 2023
“The Blazers and Heat had multiple conversations in July, but the sides never engaged in substantive negotiations, according to sources. In an initial call the Blazers asked the Heat for Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo,” said Shams “The Heat came to believe that the Blazers had little to no interest in engaging in a deal with them.”
This was one of the biggest reasons why this trade move did not materialize. The Miami Heat never wanted to let go of either Butler or Bam in a trade move with the Bucks for Dame. This led to a pause in negotiations and eventually for the negotiations to break down.
Giannis and Lillard together with the Bucks pic.twitter.com/YTgeXEfiip
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 27, 2023
Now that he’s a member of a championship-winning team in the Bucks, Damian Lillard can potentially get his first professional ring. The Milwaukee Bucks, with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the mix, will be competitive teams for many years to come.