Getty Image
NBA fans have spent weeks waiting for the seemingly inevitable day Damian Lillard was going to get traded to the Heat, and while he was involved in a transaction that was announced on Wednesday, he’ll be taking his talents to Milwaukee instead of Miami. That may have come as a surprise, but we probably should’ve seen it coming based on some clues that resurfaced after the news broke.
Lillard spent years reaffirming his loyalty to the Trail Blazers, but the man who spent 11 seasons in Portland encountered plenty of internal issues during his time with a franchise that was never able to surround him with the kind of talent he needed in order to compete for an NBA title.
While the point guard initially said he wanted to stick with the Trail Blazers following a brutal 2022-23 campaign where they finished with a 33-49 record, things finally reached the point of no return after Portland not only failed to leverage the third pick in the NBA Draft to set him and the team up for success but used it to secure another guard in the form of Scoot Henderson.
Lillard made it pretty clear Miami was his preferred destination to the point where Jimmy Butler called on the NBA to investigate the series of events that led to Portland sending him to the Bucks, but it seems like he’ll be pretty happy to have the chance to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo based on what he’s said in the past.
In 2022, Lillard opted to go with The Greek Freak when someone asked him which player he’d team up with if he had the chance to name one person who he thought could help him make the playoffs or win a title.
In December, he affirmed that pick while chatting with GQ and offering some insight into his choice.
Here’s what he had to say:
“He’s a good playmaker, good defender, disruptive, and the way he plays complements the way I play.
I would bring something to the table that complements what he does and vice versa.”
In hindsight, it seems like the only people who are shocked Lillard ended up on the Bucks are the ones who haven’t been paying attention.