Fans making a meal of an athlete’s innocuous actions, like posting a cryptic caption, or accidentally liking a post is not something new. While sometimes athletes drop hints about their discontentment with their situation or plans with their social media activity, it’s usually nothing more than fans blowing insipid actions out of proportion. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard caught himself in the fans’ crosshairs due to a seemingly harmless post on his Instagram stories.
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The guard posted an image of himself in conversation with Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo during pregame warmups, prompting fans to speculate whether he was sending a message with the post.
One fan jokingly suggested that Lillard was eyeing a move to the Heat in the offseason.
Another fan sarcastically pointed out that Lillard had posted a series of photos with other players and wasn’t hinting at anything.
One Heat fan claimed that if he was hinting at wanting to play in Miami, it wouldn’t matter because the franchise’s top brass won’t pull the trigger on a trade.
Most replies under the post were from fans pointing out that Lillard’s photo dump on Instagram stories was a season recap of sorts ahead of the playoffs. However, that did not stop some from speculating and believing that the guard was hinting at something else.
Damian Lillard’s unfulfilled Miami desire
Heat fans who are suggesting that Damian Lillard posting a photo with Bam Adebayo was a hint that he wants to play in Miami are probably the ones who haven’t moved on from the 2023 offseason. The Heat were reportedly atop the veteran guard’s wishlist when he requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers last year.
Per Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds, Bam Adebayo was the primary reason Lillard wanted to head to Miami. In an interview with NBA Marc Stein, Reynolds said,
“He’s made up his mind, this is what he wants. There’s a billion reasons why. The connection he had with Bam Adebayo I think is a really understated story right now in this whole deal. They connected incredibly at the Tokyo Olympics. You could see bonds being formed. They’ve stayed close.”
However, the Heat never made a substantial offer for Lillard and the Bucks swooped in and landed the All-NBA guard. He has endured a tough debut season in Milwaukee and has been tasked with leading the team past the Indiana Pacers without co-star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s out indefinitely with a calf injury. Lillard’s dream to play with Adebayo for the Heat remained unfulfilled and it’s interesting to ponder whether adding him could’ve helped Miami end their title drought.
