New Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard made history early Tuesday night against the Miami Heat. The future Hall of Famer passed Karl Malone for 61st on the all-time NBA assist list after a dish to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In the grand scheme of things, this wouldn’t seem to be a big deal. Instead, it’s all about the optics.
In a parallel universe, Dame would be moving up all-time lists of this ilk working with Jimmy Butler in South Beach. The long-time Portland Blazers star made it clear after requesting a trade from the Pacific Northwest this past summer that he wanted to be dealt to the Heat.
It was a point of contention between Lillard and the NBA as a whole. He continued to receive warnings from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the Association’s power elite for making his request to Miami public record. This did not deter Lillard throughout the drawn-out process.
“I’m not going to speak on the Blazers. It’s lot of love and respect, but I won’t speak on the Blazers. I can say that there was a trade request to the Heat, and I would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers,” Damian Lillard back in late August.
Just over a month later, and Lillard was dealt to the Bucks in a shocking blockbuster. Months of speculation about him heading to South Beach gave in to Dame teaming up with a two-time NBA MVP in much different climate (literally and figuratively).
That was the backdrop as Lillard and his Bucks visited Miami as part of group play in the NBA In-Season Tournament Tuesday night. In the end, Milwaukee broke away late with a 131-124 win over a short-handed Heat squad.
Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Tyler Herro (ankle) were both sidelined for Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee. The Heat’s starting lineup consisted of Kevin Love, Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry and Josh Richardson teaming up with Bam Adebayo in Miami’s starting five.
It’s a far cry from what front office head Pat Riley had envisioned for his roster after Miami earned a shocking trip to the NBA Finals a season ago.
As he has throughout his career in Miami, Riley was going big-game hunting this past summer. The target was Lillard. And 18 games into the 2023-24 season, the Heat were left starting two players that would’ve been included in a hypothetical Lillard trade, two washed-up veterans and a star center against one of the top teams in the NBA.
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Miami Heat and Damian Lillard: What could have been
Miami’s final offer to Portland for Lillard reportedly consisted of three or four first-round picks, the aforementioned Tyler Herro, salary fillers and pick swaps. It was an enhanced offer compared to what we saw earlier in the process.
It also was not enough for Blazers general manager Joe Cronin to pull the trigger. For some reason, he did not necessarily want to do business with Riley and the Heat. It could have been to stick it to Lillard after a very public trade request. Miami’s need to get a third or fourth team involved could’ve played a role, too. After all, it lacked draft pick assets.
In the end, Lillard was dealt to Milwaukee for a package that included multiple first-round picks, Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton as the headliners. Portland would then flip Holiday to the Boston Celtics for two first-round picks and salary fillers.
It’s an open question whether Miami’s final offer was on par with this. That’s a subjective determination one must make.
What we do know is that Riley went all out to add another superstar to the mix for Butler after his performance in last season’s NBA Playoffs.
For the Heat, it was seen as a necessity. Sure, the team ran roughshod through the Eastern Conference in shocking fashion last spring. But most believed that they were not equipped to compete with the big boys back east without adding another top-end player to the mix.
Tuesday’s loss without its top scorers on the floor to Lillard and the Heat doesn’t necessarily change the dynamics too much.
Kyle Lowry (21 points, 7-of-10 shooting) and Josh Richardson (20 points, 7-of-12 shooting) did their thing for one night. Bam acted the part of that leading scorer with 31 points. It was enough to keep this one close until the end against a vastly superior Bucks team. But Lillard proved to be too much for a team he seemed destined to suit up for this season.
- Damian Lillard stats (Tuesday night): 32 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 9-of-18 shooting
A short-handed loss to Milwaukee is one thing. It’s late-November. We won’t remember it down the stretch this coming spring.
What we do know is that it signifies a few things. We’ll never know what the Heat would have been with Lillard. He could’ve acted as a stabilizing force given the injury histories relating to Butler and Herro. Meanwhile, Riley is back to the drawing board. He needs to add to this roster ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline.