Former Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, prepares to take on the Miami Heat, a team he once hoped to join during the offseason trade saga.
Lillard, discussing the upcoming matchup at Fiserv Forum, emphasized that his focus is solely on his current team.
“I’ve never played on their team,” Lillard said, per Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “I mentioned it was the destination for me when I asked to be traded. But I was traded here and I’m excited to be here, I’m happy to be here. For me personally, that was the end of it.”
Asserting his commitment to the Bucks, Lillard clarified that he doesn’t carry any residual sentiments about the failed trade talks.
“I’m not going into [Monday] like, ‘This is the team I was supposed to be playing for,'” he continued. “None of that. I know Jimmy [Butler], I know Bam [Adebayo]. We’re cool. But I play for the Bucks and I’m not going into it like that’s my former team or we were tied in or nothing like that. It’s just another game.”
