(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The NBA world was shocked when the Milwaukee Bucks swooped in to trade for Damian Lillard just weeks before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
All offseason, it felt like Lillard was destined to end up with the Miami Heat, but the Bucks stepped in to acquire the All-NBA guard and bolster their own title hopes.
The move came in the wake of Giannis Antetokounmpo announcing he wasn’t planning on signing an extension with the Bucks, but Lillard’s arrival changed his tune as he recently agreed to a three-year max extension.
With Lillard in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has his best chance to add a second ring to his collection this year.
Meanwhile, the Heat are going to have to contend with the fact that they missed out on the All-Star and will probably need to go through him and the Bucks in order to get back to the Finals.
However, Lillard did reveal that he was in contact with Jimmy Butler after the trade materialized, per Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports via NBACentral.
“We’ve always been in some form of contact with each other. And I said it, initially I was like, ‘I want to go to Miami.’ He was a big part of that,” Lillard said.
Damian Lillard says he spoke to Jimmy Butler after the Milwaukee trade
“We’ve always been in some form of contact with each other. And I said it, initially I was like, ‘I want to go to Miami.’ He was a big part of that.”
(Via @melissarohlin ) pic.twitter.com/11KB4SpIz5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 24, 2023
Butler and Lillard would’ve been one of the best one-two punches in the league, but Miami couldn’t come up with an attractive enough offer.
Miami fans must’ve been devastated to not see the organization trade for Lillard, but the team has always managed to pick themselves up and compete when no one expects them to.
Lillard is going to be must-see television in Milwaukee and it’ll be exciting to see how far he can take them this season.
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