What comes as a surprise is that the Miami Heat’s inability to acquire Damian Lillard wasn’t entirely based on their negotiations. According to trusted league sources, the deal failed due to inappropriate comments from Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin.
Miami Heat was the only team on Lillard’s preferred list but they were unable to make a trade for him leaving fans and analysts looking for answers. Ben Maller, an NBA insider provided some insights on the situation.
“From what I’ve gathered, Portland was prepared to send Lillard to Miami,” Maller said. “Then his agent gave some comments to the media that rubbed several people in Portland the wrong way. It was at that point that the Blazers pivoted. Lillard’s agent had embarrassed the franchise.”
Portland was set to send Damian Lillard to Miami. However, comments from his agent upset Blazers’ officials, leading them to pivot.
The agent’s remarks ‘embarrassed the franchise,’ per @benmaller
(h/t @dru_star ) pic.twitter.com/jqnLvzTE2m
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 12, 2023
Earlier in the summer, there was positive hope that Portland would respect Lillard’s wish to join the Heat. However, the supposed guarantee turned out to be a disappointing wait for Miami.
How did Aaron Goodwin’s tactics backfire?
Lillard’s move to the Milwaukee Bucks may not have been his primary choice, but it looks like the strategies used by his team, especially by Goodwin, played a major role in the unexpected shift. According to reports, Goodwin took an aggressive stance to ensure Lillard’s move to Miami. He reached out to other teams and warned them against trading for Damian Lillard by saying they’d acquire a dissatisfied player.
Adrian Wojnarowski, a renowned analyst, highlighted this strategy, stating, “As interference goes, this is a time-honored agent maneuver to depress offers and clear a path to a predetermined destination.”
Damian Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin has been calling prospective trade partners and “warning against” trading for Dame, per @wojespn
Goodwin has been “telling organizations outside of Miami that trading for Lillard is trading for an unhappy player” pic.twitter.com/HROXeFdDBP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 6, 2023
However, Goodwin’s efforts had consequences as well. The NBA was involved and issued a memo condemning such actions. This situation combined with Goodwin’s approach, did not fit well with the Trail Blazers’ executives and pushed them to explore deals elsewhere.
Also that time, the Miami Heat was in a challenging situation. Their bold negotiation tactics were unsuccessful. Pat Riley, the Heat’s GM, was convinced that his team had the upper hand and even issued a challenge to the Blazers to find a better deal. However, this confidence resulted in a series of losses for the team. They missed out on acquiring Lillard and they also parted ways with essential players like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus.
After all this drama, Miami faces a challenging season ahead. Their roster lacks the strength they had last year, and with their star player, Jimmy Butler on the verge of retirement they have some big issues to sort out.