Ten days before Wednesday’s blockbuster Damian Lillard trade, his agent, Aaron Goodwin, informed the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets that he’d be interested in playing for them, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears. The whole world knew Lillard had his eyes on the Miami Heat, but, with training camp approaching, perhaps it became evident that the Heat were unlikely to get a deal done with the Portland Trail Blazers.
In an interview with the Miami Herald‘s Anthony Chiang, Goodwin said, “They did everything they could to acquire Dame. It takes two to get a deal done. I appreciate all that Pat [Riley], Andy [Elisburg] and Micky [Arison] did to try and make this happen.”
In the same story, the Herald cites league sources saying that Miami made an offer centered around Tyler Herro and draft compensation in July, but the two sides barely communicated after that and the Blazers never appeared interested in what the Heat could offer them. (Back in July, Goodwin told the Herald, “Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.”)
Lillard is excited for his next chapter in Milwaukee, and why wouldn’t he be? Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best teammate he’s ever had and this is his best chance to win a championship. As for the Brooklyn side of things, we already knew that he’d be interested in playing there because he said so in June. Before his trade request, Lillard appeared on Showtime’s “Last Stand Podcast” and said that, if he and Portland were to part ways, the Nets would be an “obvious” destination because he’s close with Mikal Bridges and they have a capable roster. There is little indication, however, that Brooklyn was in the mix for Lillard at any point this offseason.
At a press conference in Las Vegas on July 10, Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said that “there is a lot of work involved” to find a trade that gives the franchise a fair return and sends the player to a good landing spot, referencing previous deals involving CJ McCollum and Josh Hart. “Often,” Cronin said, “it involves more than just one destination.”