Damian Lillard's Agent: Heat 'Did Everything They Could' Before Trade to Bucks

Well, at least the Miami Heat tried.

After an offseason of speculation that Damian Lillard might end up in Miami, the Portland Trail Blazers traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three-team deal on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said the Heat "did everything they could to acquire Dame," per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. "It takes two to get a deal done."

The implication in the quote is that Portland did not want to trade Lillard to the Heat even though it seemed clear for much of the offseason that was his preferred destination.

The NBA even issued a memo in July saying it interviewed Lillard and Goodwin and confirmed the guard would play for whatever team traded for him instead of creating issues as a way of getting to Miami.

Yet Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported earlier this month that Portland and Miami were the only training camps he would report to, contradicting the NBA's assurances.

However, that doesn't seem to be a concern any longer with Lillard joining a championship contender in Milwaukee. He even said on social media that he is "excited for my next chapter."

That it was the Bucks who ended up with the seven-time All-Star is particularly brutal for the Heat, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. figure to be one of the top contenders in the race for a championship in the Eastern Conference. Adding Lillard only makes them more dangerous, and anything less than a title would be seen as a disappointment.

While Lillard is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best players of his generation, he is missing a championship from his resume.

Going to Milwaukee could help him change that, as opponents will now have to deal with Antetokounmpo and Lillard in crunch time with the game on the line.

Miami was surely hoping it would be Lillard and Jimmy Butler teaming up instead.