Damian Lillard did not get his wish of a trade to the Miami Heat, as he was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster deal on Wednesday. Despite that, Lillard’s camp does not appear to hold any ill will toward the Heat for failing to get a deal done.
Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin credited the Heat on Wednesday for their efforts to make a trade for Lillard, and pointed out that it was not their fault that nothing got done.
“They did everything they could to acquire Dame. It takes two to get a deal done,” Goodwin said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I appreciate all that Pat [Riley], Andy [Elisburg] and Micky [Arison] did to try and make this happen.”
Chiang’s report stated that the Heat and Portland Trail Blazers had preliminary talks after Lillard made his trade request in July, but the two sides had little communication in recent weeks. The Blazers reportedly did not re-engage with Miami before accepting Milwaukee’s offer, either.
Lillard had his heart set on a move to Miami, and Goodwin was so set on trying to make it happen that the NBA reportedly intervened. Ultimately, Lillard sounded quite pleased with his ultimate destination when reacting on Wednesday, while the Heat simply were unable to come up with a trade package that interested Portland.
