Before the Milwaukee Bucks acquired point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, the Miami Heat were heavily linked to the floor general in trade rumors, and there was supposedly mutual interest.
The Trail Blazers, however, didn’t seem very interested in engaging with the Heat on a Lillard trade.
Former NBA guard Rashad McCants pointed out that Lillard wanted to be traded to Miami when talking about the narrative that players don’t wish to play for the Heat. Such a narrative has been gaining traction lately with all of the drama that’s been surrounding the team and star forward Jimmy Butler.
"You asked me who the last guy was that wanted to go to Miami. Dame Lillard… he wasn't a free agent but if he was, guess where he would have wanted to go?!"
.@SoundbiteKing is not rolling with the narrative that free agents don’t want to sign with the Miami Heat. pic.twitter.com/vThc2JxvVQ
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) January 23, 2025
“Dame was going to Miami,” McCants said of Lillard. “It got intercepted. It got intercepted. He wanted to go to Miami.”
So far, the Bucks haven’t lived up to the expectations that come with having a duo of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way. The Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and this season, they’ve been respectable but not dominant.
Butler has been in and out of the lineup for the Heat all month, but not for injury reasons. First, he was suspended seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.” As a result, he was unavailable in each of Miami’s games from Jan. 4 through Jan. 15.
The 35-year-old made his long-awaited return to the court against the Denver Nuggets about a week ago, but he only suited up in two more games for Miami (three total) before he was handed yet another suspension for missing a flight. He will now miss the team’s next two contests.
The Heat will be without Butler when they play the Bucks on Thursday night and when they take on the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.
Even though Butler seemingly hasn’t been invested in playing for the Heat and helping the team win games lately, Lillard’s previous interest in joining Miami does seem to indicate that the franchise may be a desirable destination for some NBA players.
The Heat are certainly hoping that in the future, they’ll be able to bring some more talent to Miami as they try to win another championship.
