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The long-simmering blockbuster trade of Damian Lillard has been completed, with an agreement reached to send the Trail Blazers point guard to Milwaukee in a three-team deal that also includes the Phoenix Suns rerouting center Deandre Ayton to Portland. Notably, the trade did not include the team that reportedly pursued Lillard vigorously -- the Miami Heat.
According to Lillard's agent, the Heat made a significant effort to prise Lillard from Portland -- but the implication has been made that the Blazers had no interest in engaging with Miami over the past several weeks.
Heat did "everything they could"
Ever since Lillard first requested a trade on July 1, the seven-time All-Star made it clear that he would prefer to play for the Heat -- initially, at the exclusion of all other interested sides. But the NBA disapproved of this stance, leading to a renewed battle to secure Lillard's services before the start of training camps in the first week of October.
In a statement to the Miami Herald, Lillard's representative Aaron Goodwin claimed the Heat tried finding numerous pathways to a deal -- but that "it takes two" to complete a trade.
Despite rumors of a package including multiple players -- such as guard Tyler Herro -- and future draft picks, Pat Riley and the Heat could not connect with Joe Cronin and the Blazers' front office, who preferred to negotiate in the shadows with the Bucks and Suns.
Heat's Butler sounds off: "Y'all need to look into the Bucks for tampering"
Will Miami pursue another star?
With the imminent start of training camp, time is running out for Miami to turn its attention toward another high-profile player. Without ample cap space or a bevy of future picks, the Heat may have to pause its pursuit of a superstar until the trade deadline -- or even until summer 2024.
But as Lillard is ing rival contenders up in Milwaukee, the Heat may feel pressure to respond. It remains to be seen if Miami will engage with the Indiana Pacers on shooting guard Buddy Hield, a pending free agent who has asked for a trade. If not, it will be up to Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler to raise their games once again for the defending Eastern Conference champions.