Jimmy Butler And Damian Lillard Meeting Up Pregame Looked Awkward As Hell
Sam Forencich. Getty Images.
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Well….that was awkward.
That was the look of two guys who were a bit broken hearted they weren't able to team up.
Somewhere out there, probably some form of alternate universe, Damian Lillard is a member of the Miami Heat. It's fun to think about how different the league might look today had something like that actually happened. Given how things ended up, a handful of franchises would obviously look different, and it's always a little awkward when the guy who did everything in his power to try and force his way to the Heat now plays against that team as a member of the team that actually traded for him who also happens to be a bit of a recent rival of MIA.
Thinking back to this summer, it's pretty crazy Dame didn't end up getting what he wanted. Not because the Blazers should have taken a worse deal, but because in the NBA unless you're an aging James Harden, every star who demanded a trade essentially got what they wanted. Depending on who you believe, if Dame's agent didn't go overboard maybe these two would be playing as teammates tonight instead of opponents. Now Dame is on a team many consider the favorite to win the whole thing while Jimmy is stuck hoping there's more Miami Heat voodoo-esq playoff black magic on the horizon. I'd say this whole saga will always be a pretty damn good NBA "what if" without even knowing how things ultimately shake out.
In terms of tonight's game, it's also a situation where either the Bucks who are coming off getting absolutely rocked at home by the Hawks fall to under .500 or the Heat who are coming off back to back ass kickings by the Celts and Wolves potentially falling to 1-3. Either way, someone isn't going to get off to the greatest start, so I would imagine both sides are going to be playing a little desperate.
I will say this though, at least the Heat get to face Dame in a game that's on the road. You just know Dame is going for 35+ in his first Bucks game in Miami, so at least he can break the ice on his home floor first. We'll never know what that Dame/Jimmy/Bam trio might have looked like, but we will get to see how these two teams match up after the Heat both physically and mentally dominated the Bucks last Spring. Granted, they probably thought they were going to have Dame the next time they faced off against Giannis, so now having to play Giannis AND Dame is a bit of a kick to the dick, especially when the guy begged and pleaded for you to trade for him in the first place. That's tough.
If the Bucks roll and Dame goes for a huge bounce back performance, it's only going to sting even more.