In early July, Damian Lillard demanded a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Miami Heat.
The two teams started negotiating right away but things allegedly fell apart rather quickly
Lillard was finally acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday as a result of that.
When the Blazers picked up the phone to contact Miami, they were reportedly really swinging for the fences, according to a report from Shams Charania via NBACentral.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66838191/461010751.jpg.0.jpg)
They reportedly requested Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo from the Heat in their initial Lillard-focused trade conversation.
That undoubtedly caused a significant speed bump in the discussions from the outset.
The Heat had no intention of parting with either Butler or Adebayo.
They have publicly said that they are the franchise’s future and have been devoted to both of those players for years.
Portland was unaware of this.
Were they simply attempting to begin with a massive request, knowing that both parties would then work their way down from it?
The Blazers made it plain from the start that they wouldn’t commit to anything unless it offered them a very significant return.
They wouldn’t accept anything less than A-list talent for Lillard.
This information demonstrates that the Blazers and Heat’s negotiations were doomed from the outset.
There was no chance that they could ever reach a compromise that pleased all parties.
Although they have always been rivals, the Blazers and Heat have never had a genuine rivalry.
But did this contentious exchange between the clubs really start a fresh front office feud?
