Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic say that the Portland Trail Blazers wanted Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo from the Miami Heat in exchange for Damian Lillard. In the end, Lillard was traded from the Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Charania and Amick wrote in their most recent NBA trade piece, “Sources say that the Blazers and Heat talked several times in July, but they never got down to serious talks.” “The Blazers asked the Heat for Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo on their first call.” The Heat started to think that the Blazers weren’t interested in making a deal with them. Lillard and Goodwin really wanted the Blazers to try to make the seven-time All-Star’s wish come true, but Portland wouldn’t. Lillard wanted the Blazers to make a deal with Miami as the summer went on, but he thought that those hopes also fell through.
The seven-time All-Star was willing to play for the Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets after Lillard found out the Blazers wouldn’t trade him to the Heat. Milwaukee now has Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who together may be the best Big 3 in the NBA.
The fact that Lillard is good friends with Adebayo made him want to play for the Heat. It was also Butler who wanted to play with Lillard. They were never interested in what the Heat had to offer for Lillard, though.
Lillard is one of the best players in NBA history. He led the Blazers with 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game last year. Next season, he’ll make $46.6 million. Portland signed Lillard to a new deal worth $121.8 million over two years in July 2022.
Now, the Heat will try to get Blazers player Jrue Holiday. In the huge deal for Lillard, the Bucks sent Holiday to the Blazers.