"Dame now or Giannis later" - NBA analyst highlights Bucks' ruthless move to deny Miami Heat 2 superstars

Damian Lillard named the Miami Heat as his preferred trade destination but it seems his request was not fulfilled. Portland Trail Blazers traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he will pair with fellow superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

This was a lose-lose situation for the Miami Heat, who failed to land Lillard, while it is unlikely they will be able to pursue Antetokounmpo in the future. The Miami Heat were monitoring Antetokounmpo's status with the Bucks, as the "Greek Freak" had expressed the desire to leave Milwaukee if the franchise didn't have the same winning mentality as him.

"Talks between the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat have reportedly been dormant for some time," Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated wrote a day before the Damian Lillard trade. "And, yes, Miami is certainly among the teams keeping an eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee. But are the Miami Heat really willing to, ahem, burn another season of Jimmy Butler in the hope that Giannis is available? Or is the threat of Toronto landing Lillard enough for Miami to plus up whatever offer it had on the table?"

With Lillard and Antetokounmpo now teammates in Milwaukee, the Miami Heat should shift their focus on other superstars, as Lillard has four years left on his current deal, while the "Greek Freak" will very likely stay with the Bucks long-term after Milwaukee brought another superstar to the team. Antetokounmpo is under contract until 2026, with the final year being a player option.

"The Bucks might’ve just destroyed Miami’s future plans — Dame now or Giannis later — in one move," NBA analyst Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports tweeted.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks in a win-now mode after Damian Lillard trade

The Milwaukee Bucks front office showed its desire to bring the team back to the top after three years. They also showed their willingness to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo by bolstering the roster with one of the best point guards in the NBA. Antetokounmpo wanted to see the Bucks make some winning moves this offseason and the result is Damian Lillard's trade.

"I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing," Giannis Antetokounmpo told the New York Times in late August.

A month after Antetokounmpo's comments, the Bucks are aiming for nothing but the title, and failing to do so would be a big setback for the organization. At the same time, with Antetokounmpo and Lillard having a few years left on their current deals, the Bucks have also extended their championship window.

As Shams Charania of The Athletic reported, the Bucks made an extension offer to the "Greek Freak", worth three years and $186.6 million, before trading for Damian Lillard, but it is unclear how Antetokounmpo will proceed with that.

Certainly, the chances of staying with Milwaukee for the rest of his career have significantly improved, but he may wait to sign an extension next offseason when he will have already played with Damian Lillard for a full year and will be eligible for a more lucrative deal of four years and $234 million.

If both are healthy, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will play their first official game together on October 26, when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum.