Jimmy Butler took to his social media to express his thoughts after the trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks last Wednesday. The Miami Heat player posted a video calling on the NBA to investigate the Bucks for tampering. Lillard had previously expressed his desire to join the Miami Heat, and Butler, who had hoped to form a duo with the former Portland Trail Blazers point guard, will now see him play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo next season.
Butler stated in his social media video, “NBA, folks, you need to take a look at the Bucks for tampering. This needs to be done. I’ll just leave it here. You didn’t hear it from me, but I heard it from someone.”
Damian Lillard had already publicly expressed his desire to join the Miami Heat, which had previously led the NBA to issue him a tampering warning. Following Lillard’s trade to the Bucks, Jimmy Butler called on the NBA to investigate the situation, although he did not provide details on what the Bucks may have done to entice Lillard, who had spent 11 years with the Blazers.
The NBA has strict rules against tampering, prohibiting team members from negotiating with players from other franchises with the intent to sign them. In 2020, the Bucks were penalized for reaching an agreement with Bogdan Bogdanovic before the free agency period, resulting in the loss of a second-round draft pick in 2022.
The three-way trade that brought Lillard to the Bucks had the following outcome:
Milwaukee Bucks: Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers: Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a first-round draft pick in 2029 from the Bucks, along with draft picks in 2028 and 2030.
Phoenix Suns: Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.
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