After expressing his desire to be traded from the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard had his sights set on joining the Miami Heat. However, his wish didn’t come true.
In a three-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns, Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. This move pairs him with Giannis Antetokounmpo and instantly makes the Bucks favorites in the Eastern Conference for the upcoming season.
The trade saw the Suns acquire Jusuf Nurkić, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson, while the Trail Blazers received Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and Jrue Holiday.
Jimmy Butler, a star player for the Heat, wasn’t pleased with the trade and released a video calling for an NBA investigation into potential tampering by the Bucks.
“Yo, NBA. Man, you got to look into the Bucks for tampering,” Butler said on his Instagram story. “Y’all do. I’m just going to put that out there. Y’all didn’t hear it from me, but I heard it through somebody [inaudible].”
Given Butler’s playful nature, it’s unclear whether he was serious about the call for an investigation into tampering. This comes after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the trade.
The Heat were initially considered the frontrunners to land Lillard due to his preference, but circumstances didn’t work in their favor. Instead, Lillard finds himself on the Bucks, a team that the Heat eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
The Bucks will kick off their season on October 26 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
