Milwaukee Bucks rumors: At one point, it seemed inevitable that Damian Lillard was headed to the Miami Heat. This was after the seven-time All-Star made it abundantly clear that Miami was the only team he wanted to play for. That obviously did not come to fruition for Dame, as he’s now set to join the Milwaukee Bucks amid this shocking turn of events.
Milwaukee Bucks Won Damian Lillard Race
As it turns out, however, it’s not just the Heat who the Bucks beat out in the Lillard race. According to league insiders Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, at least six other teams had significant interest in Lillard. One of them happened to be one of Milwaukee’s biggest rivals in the East: the Boston Celtics.
“As the Blazers began to start serious trade talks across the league on Sept. 18, a bevy of teams — the Bucks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls — all showed interest in Lillard, league sources have told The Athletic,” wrote Charania and Amick.
It does not come as a surprise that more than a handful of teams were engaged in serious talks with the Portland Trail Blazers for Lillard. After all, this man is a generational talent and he has the ability to instantly transform any team into a frontrunner for the championship. This is exactly going to be the case for the Bucks now that they’ve successfully paired Dame with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What About the Heat?
It’s quite interesting to note that among the six teams mentioned in the above report, the Heat were not one of them. This just goes to show how the Blazers really did not want to do a deal with Miami — at least toward the end. Both teams were reportedly locked in talks virtually all summer long, but clearly, they just did not find common ground.
For their part, the Heat also indicated that they wanted Lillard, but obviously, not at the price Portland was asking for. Well, as it turns out, the Bucks were willing to meet that lofty asking price.
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