Blazers-Bucks Trade: Damian Lillard, Agent Break Silence on Shock Deal Despite Heat Demand

PORTLAND, OREGON - Damian Lillard (#0) of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles against Jrue Holiday (#21) of the Milwaukee Bucks during the third quarter at the Moda Center on February 06, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. The Milwaukee Bucks won 127-108. (Photo : Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Damian Lillard has officially left the Portland Trail Blazers but won't be heading to the Miami Heat as initially requested.

Instead, the NBA 75th Anniversary Team member is bound for another Eastern Conference team with strong championship aspirations, which the Heat eliminated in the first round last playoffs - the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lillard took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to react to the blockbuster transaction and express his gratitude to the fans in Portland, which he has called home for the past 11 years.

"The casuals won't be addressed but the trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be ... and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned... Excited for my next chapter! @Bucks," the 33-year-old wrote.

Read more: Golden State Warriors Close to Finalizing Deal to Bring WNBA Expansion Team to the Bay Area

Damian Lillard's agent talks about the Miami front office

On the other hand, Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, spoke with Heat reporter Anthony Chiang to discuss Miami's efforts to land the seven-time NBA All-Star, even if the deal did not come through.

"[The Miami Heat] did everything they could to acquire Dame. It takes two to get a deal done. I appreciate all that Pat [Riley], Andy [Elisburg] and Micky [Arison] did to try and make this happen," Goodwin said.

The quote implies that despite the 2018 All-NBA First Team member's apparent preference to be traded to the Miami Heat during most of the offseason, the Blazers were reluctant to trade him to that specific team.

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