Everybody felt like Jimmy Butler, if you are a fan of any team in the Eastern Conference after the blockbuster trade of Damian Lillard to The Milwaukee Bucks was announced Wednesday. The Portland Trailblazers finally found a reasonable suitor for Damian Lillard’s services after he requested a trade early in the Summer. It had almost been three months, and all indications until about two weeks ago was he would make his way to Miami.
The main obstacles in finalizing the deal revolved around finding a taker for the final year of starting center Jusuf Nurkic’s contract, as Portland aimed to clear their books and kickstart their rebuilding efforts. The initial offer of Tyler Herro and some draft picks failed to entice Portland to part ways with their seven-time All-Star. However, a more attractive proposition emerged in the form of a three-team trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
Following news of the trade, Miami’s Jimmy Butler jokingly went to Instagram and asked the NBA to look into Milwaukee.
“Yo NBA man, y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering… Y’all didn’t hear it from me, but I heard it from somebody.”
Milwaukee received Damian Lillard, while the Suns got some much-needed depth. Milwaukee sent Grayson Allen, while Portland sent Nasir Little, Keon Johnson, and Jusuf Nurkic. The Portland Trailblazers received Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Jrue Holiday, a 2029 first-round pick from Phoenix, and pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 with Milwaukee.
The Miami Heat have already been in talks to acquire Jrue Holiday and the trade is pending until his new home is also established.
