Bucks' Damian Lillard: Jimmy Butler Was 'Big Part' of Why I Wanted Heat Trade

Former Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard tried to force his way to the Miami Heat this offseason but instead found himself alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

While Lillard told Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports that he now believes Milwaukee "is the best basketball situation for me," he also explained that his interest in the Heat was related to his relationship with Jimmy Butler.

"We've always been in some form of contact with each other," Lillard said. "And I said it, initially I was like, 'I want to go to Miami.' He was a big part of that. It didn't happen. I'm here now. But our relationship will be the same. The same respect. It's just something that didn't happen. It was out of his control and mine."

As for his attitude toward teaming up with Antetokounmpo, Lillard told Rohlin:

"It was just like, 'Let's do this.' He's not a barky type of dude in an everyday type of conversation. He was just like, 'Let's get it done.' That was my same thoughts and feelings."

Lillard had spent his entire 11-year career in Portland and exited the Trail Blazers as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

The 33-year-old requested a trade from Portland on the second day of NBA free agency and made it abundantly clear that he wanted to be traded to the Heat. His representatives even called teams outside of Miami and told them "that trading for Lillard is trading for an unhappy player," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on July 6.

The Trail Blazers reportedly wanted more in exchange for Lillard than the Heat were willing to offer, so Portland obviously moved on and found a suitor in Milwaukee, which will be among the top title contenders in the Eastern Conference this season.

Milwaukee's acquisition of Lillard also left Butler quite upset as he called for the NBA to investigate the Bucks for tampering.

"Yo NBA, man, y'all need to look into the Bucks for tampering," Butler said in an Instagram story. "You do. I'm just going to put that out there."

Miami would have been much closer to winning a title had they been able to pair Lillard with Butler and Bam Adebayo. Now the Heat will be wondering what could have been as they embark on a 2023-24 season that boasts high expectations after the franchise reached the NBA Finals last year.

It's possible Lillard and Butler could meet in the 2024 playoffs. If they do, the matchup will likely be one of the most-watched as fans will be eager to see who comes out on top.