Jimmy Butler has responded to the Miami Heat missing out on Damian Lillard.
Lillard had long insisted he would only play for Miami, and when he ended up in Milwaukee instead, Butler called out the Bucks for tampering. Now, the Heat star has offered his thoughts on everything that went down.
“I’m happy for Dame to be somewhere where he’s wanted,” Butler said on NBA TV.
“He has a chance to win a championship… I’m still going to be me. I’m gonna go beat Dame, Giannis, and Adrian Griffin on our way to a title.”
Miami has long been considered one of the biggest threats in the league to land big-name free agents. Over the years, the team has managed to acquire the likes of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning.
Adding to the team’s allure is their legendary team president Pat Riley, who is famously known to throw his championship rings on the table when pitching to free agents.
But even Riley and his front office couldn’t get it done this time, with Miami simply unable to offer a package that interested Portland.
The Heat couldn’t send the Blazers much beyond Tyler Herro, while Portland was eventually able to land a package headlined by Jrue Holiday and DeAndre Ayton, with Holiday then shipping off to Boston in exchange for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round draft picks.
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