Damian Lillard has spent the 2023 offseason combating to get to a particular crew: the Miami Heat. Rumors have long past as far as to indicate that Lillard would now not record to any crew but even so the Heat or his present Portland Trail Blazers. But Lillard had indirectly addressed the opportunity of enjoying for different groups… till Tuesday. On an look on It Is What It Is with Cam’ron and Ma$e, he spoke about every other long-rumored suitor for his products and services: his hometown Golden State Warriors.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Lillard isn’t . “I respect what they’ve been doing over the last eight, nine years or whatever, and I’m from there, obviously. That’s home. But I can’t go be a part of that,” Lillard stated at kind of the 53-minute mark. “They won four championships. What I look like going to try to do that?”
Lillard went directly to take issues a step additional, necessarily taking the opportunity of a homecoming off of the desk endlessly. “I’d never do nothing like that,” he persevered. “I’d lose every year before I go.”
Lillard has a number of viable causes for now not in need of to play for Golden State. He noticed firsthand how a lot complaint Kevin Durant won when he selected to enroll in the Warriors in 2016, and although he hadn’t, Stephen Curry recently occupies Lillard’s place of level guard. Curry and Lillard may just in all probability play in combination, however the Warriors even have Klay Thompson and Chris Paul. One of them would nearly indisputably wish to be within the deal, however meshing the 3 that stay would now not be simple. Fortunately for Lillard, the Warriors have now not credibly been related to him this offseason, so he is more than likely secure.
Still, it is not onerous to believe Lillard’s stance right here a tad hypocritical. If the Warriors are probably the most a hit crew of this period of NBA historical past, the Heat are more than likely 2nd. They are most effective different crew to win a couple of championships since 2011, and feature made the Finals six instances in that span. That comprises two journeys within the closing 4 years led through Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. There is a slight distinction in the truth that Butler and Adebayo have by no means if truth be told received a championship in Miami while Golden State’s core has been round for all 4, however the Heat are not precisely some up-and-comer. They’ve received masses with out Lillard.
Lillard has stated in each 2016 and 2021 that he’s now not occupied with becoming a member of an ideal crew. The Heat with Lillard, Butler and Adebayo would no doubt be an ideal crew. But it seems that, Lillard’s stance on tremendous groups has softened a bit of. Now, it is dynasties he is averting in any respect prices.