With conversations between the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers on a Damian Lillard trade seeming to fizzle out, a new report suggests they could shift their focus to acquiring a different superstar instead.
Since Damian Lillard requested that he wanted his days with the Portland Trail Blazers to come to an end via a trade to the Miami Heat, the NBA world has been watching to see when a deal would finally go down. However, nearly three months have passed since the request and a deal seems no closer to happening.
In fact, over the last couple of weeks, various reports have suggested that a blockbuster trade between the Heat and Trail Blazers is starting to look unlikely at this point. It has opened the door to speculation that teams like the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and even the Milwaukee Bucks were now potential landing spots for the seven-time All-Star.
With their chances of getting the second superstar they have long coveted now unlikely, Miami must now shift their approach and that switch could mean attempting to land one of the very best players in the sport.
On a Tuesday column about the Damian Lillard trade situation, Sports Illustrated NBA insider Chris Mannix tossed in an interesting bit of news when writing about the Heat’s dwindling chances of landing the star point guard.
“Yes, Miami is certainly among the teams keeping an eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee,” he wrote.
Part of the reason why Milwaukee has jumped into the Lillard chase is due to Antetokounmpo’s concerns about the direction of the team after being eliminated in the first round of last season’s playoffs by the eighth-seed Miami Heat. He has also fanned speculation that he is very much open to opting out of the final year of his deal and seeking a new home in free agency.
If the Bucks do believe their top star plans to leave, they certainly would start taking bids in what would be one of the greatest trade markets for one player in NBA history. However, if the Heat are having trouble securing a trade for Lillard, it would be even more difficult to get the one-time NBA MVP.