“Been a Finals Team”: LeBron James’ Former Teammate Defends Pat Riley For Losing Damian Lillard to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.

For weeks, the Miami Heat were rumored to have been close to signing Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. However, Dame instead teamed up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and company and will be a Buck for the time being. The Heat’s failure to land the 33-year-old superstar led to criticism from journalist Evan Sidery on X, who claimed he was the latest in a long line of superstars that the Heat had failed to land, despite being strong contenders. However, LeBron James’ teammate and Wizards ace’ Kyle Kuzma leaped to the defense of President Pat Riley and the Miami Heat.

The Milwaukee Bucks emerged recently in this deal after the Trail Blazers held firm in their bid to find a favorable package. Despite Lillard actively looking to move to the Heat, he seems to have changed his mind but will have similar title ambitions that he wanted with Butler’s team.

Miami Heat criticized after losing race for Damian Lillard

Lillard had for weeks been patient and hoped that the Heat would agree on a package with his former team. Despite his agent Aaron Goodwin recently announcing that he wants to play for the Heat, the franchise failed to agree to a deal.

This opened doors for other teams with a number of suitors showing up with offers. The winning bid, however, came from the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Heat caught in a bit of a limbo. As per the tweet, the onus is on President Pat Riley.

The franchise made multiple moves in the expectation that they would end up landing Lillard but will now be short of options. Regardless, despite criticism from Sidery, Kyle Kuzma had a simple defense for Pat Riley and company:

“But they have been a finals team….”

The legendary Pat Riley has had continued success over the years as the Miami Heat President. He was the head coach when they won the title in 2006 and formed the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade combo that won two rings in 2012 and 13.

Jimmy Butler hilariously accuses the Milwaukee Bucks of “tampering”

None of the Miami Heat fans will be happy with how Lillard’s situation concluded. Jimmy Butler has led the Heat to 2 Finals appearances but is still looking for his first ring with the franchise.

The Heat put all their eggs in one basket with the Lillard trade, and let go of multiple starters in the expectation that they will be forming a new superteam. It seems as if the situation has rubbed off Jimmy Butler the wrong way as well.

Speaking on his Instagram, Butler claimed that he heard from somewhere the Milwaukee Bucks had been guilty of tampering. That is a bit of a far stretch, and it is clear that even the Heat players were caught off-guard by how the Lillard situation has developed.