The Milwaukee Bucks just added another superstar to the roster, with Damian Lillard forming an All-Star duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo, in addition to already having Khris Middleton too. Lillard’s arrival now gives the Bucks the best NBA Finals odds for the 2023-24 season.
There’s no denying that the Bucks have formed one of the best rosters in the NBA. Lillard is a top-15 player today. But so is Jimmy Butler, who Lillard reportedly want to join on the Miami Heat.
According to former Bucks power forward John Henson, there was even a time when Butler appeared to be on the verge of being traded to Milwaukee too.
Appearing on Sirius XM, Henson says the Bucks once called Antetokounmpo to gauge his interest in adding Butler to the roster via trade. In fact, Antetokounmpo reportedly vetoed the trade offer, which would have involved Middleton being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2018.
Butler was later dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers, before being traded again to the Miami Heat 55 games later. Meanwhile, Middleton became an All-Star for the first time in 2018, and he’s since made two more All-Star appearances. Not to mention, the Bucks won their NBA championship two seasons later, with Middleton playing a key role, averaging 20.4 points per game.
While the pairing of Antetokounmpo and Butler would have been a dangerous duo, would it have led to a different outcome for the Bucks? Would Butler have his first ring? We’ll never know, but the idea of two of the NBA’s best two-way players teaming up is a fun one to think about.
Related: Damian Lillard had interest in joining one other team aside from Heat and Bucks