One could make an argument that the Miami Heat had the most disappointing offseason in the whole NBA. This is after they watched Damian Lillard take his talents to the Milwaukee Bucks following Miami’s failed bid for the seven-time All-Star.
The Heat were the heavy favorites to land Lillard the moment he declared his intention to leave the Portland Trail Blazers as well as his desire to move to Miami. As we all know, however, it just never came to be.
Bam Adebayo Speaks Out on Botched Damian Lillard Trade
Heat star Bam Adebayo has now shared his two cents worth on his team’s failed bid for Lillard. The Miami big man no longer dwelled on the intricacies of the botched pursuit. Instead, Adebayo opted to discuss how difficult it must have been for Dame to go through this entire ordeal:
“We discussed the Damian Lillard stuff. I wish it would have just gotten over earlier not only on guys on our team but him as an individual,” Adebayo said. “Guys got kids. Guys got family, guys need to know what’s about to happen. Some people in that mix of what happened got that phone call, there was no turning back. It was one decision, move on. It was like three days before (training) camp or four days before camp. He has kids, he got families. And that’s a lot to move in 72 hours.”
Just imagine what it was like for Jrue Holiday, though. The former Bucks star got traded twice in the span of five days. Considering the shock factor of his move away from Milwaukee, you could make an argument that Holiday endured an equally, if not even more toiling experience.
No Hard Feelings?
For his part, though, Bam has nothing but well wishes for Lillard. It’s no secret that Adebayo would have loved to become teammates with the seven-time All-Star point guard, but now that he’s moved on to greener pastures, the Heat star is just happy for Dame:
“I’m glad he got what he wanted at the end of the day, which was he wanted to leave and he wanted a chance to win. And I feel like he has that where he went,” Adebayo said.
"I wish it would have just gotten over earlier"
🔊 @Bam1of1 on why he thought the Damian Lillard trade discussions went on longer than they should have #HEATTwitter #HeatCulture@MiamiHeat | @TheJaxShowhttps://t.co/IHMBxr3V1a pic.twitter.com/tOe65RUgrh
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 16, 2023
This does not mean, however, that Adebayo won’t do everything he can to take down Lillard and the Bucks the next time they meet on the court.
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