Ultimately, the Portland Trail Blazers decided not to trade Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat. Instead, the Blazers will trade Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Wednesday.
The deal sends Lillard to Milwaukee, where he’ll join Giannis Antetokounmpo to form a dominant two-man game and establish the Bucks as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The Trail Blazers will receive Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick from Milwaukee as well as swap rights in 2028 and 2030. The Suns will bolster their depth with Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.
This is a disappointing result for the Miami Heat, who had been Lillard’s desired destination since the 33-year-old guard requested a trade on July 1. Since then, the Trail Blazers and Heat spoke about a trade only sparsely as tensions built up between the two organizations. After Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin reportedly warned teams not to trade for his client, the NBA sent a memo to all 30 teams in late July stating that any player, or his agent, who makes public or private comments indicating he won’t “fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade” will be subject to discipline.
Portland revamped trade talks last week, including with teams such as the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. The Bucks were also a motivated team, particularly after Antetokounmpo challenged the organization to make roster improvements before he decides whether to sign an extension next summer.
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