- Miami Heat are the biggest losers in Damian Lillard deal
- Tyer Herro calls for the NBA to launch a full investigation
- NBA fans aren’t buying the claims from Miami players
The NBA world received quite a shock when Damian Lillard’s trade to the Bucks was first announced. Among the teams interested in Lillard, nobody imagined the Bucks would be able to secure a deal for the 7x All-Star but they were able to pull it off as part of a three-team trade involving the Suns and Trail Blazers.
Meanwhile, in Miami, the fans and players are begging the NBA to take a look at the situation. In one wild tweet by Heat guard Tyler Herro, he even suggested that the Bucks were tampering with Lillard and called on the league to take action to prevent the trade.
What he said https://t.co/S6Diyx8s5z
— Tyler Herro (@raf_tyler) September 27, 2023
Jimmy Butler was the first Heat player to draw attention to the blockbuster deal, and he even went so far as to post a video accusing the Bucks of illegal action. And while the claim has not yet been confirmed, it hasn’t yet been debunked either and it’s possible that the trade could be reviewed before it’s made official by the NBA. “Yo NBA, y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering,” said Butler. “I’m just going to put that out there… Y’all didn’t hear it from me but I heard it through somebody else.”
Are The Bucks Guilty Of Tampering?
The NBA has strict rules against tampering, and penalties could include anything from a small fine to a veto of the trade itself. The Bucks have actually been punished in the past for tampering with their own player. Back in 2019, Milwaukee got in trouble for speaking on the supermax contract situation with Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to league rules, teams cannot commit to a ‘supermax’ extension prior to the summer following a player’s seventh season and that’s exactly what they did.
The Bucks obviously made out just fine in that situation (besides a $50,000 fine) given that they would go on to win the title just two years later, but will the same be said for the current accusations? So far, no evidence has been provided to suggest any tampering between the Bucks and Damian Lillard, but it’s possible that some conversations were happening behind the scenes between the Bucks and Lillard, which is also against league rules.
NBA Fans Shut Down Tampering Accusations
With the claims of Butler and Herro still unconfirmed, fans aren’t exactly convinced that the Bucks did something wrong. In fact, many fans have turned against the Heat in this situation and have taken to calling Butler and Herro poor sports for trying to dismantle the Bucks trade.
https://twitter.com/mtplug_grinder/status/1707117777343955363
Lol get over it my boy.. Don’t feel bad tho cuz Giannis leaving the bucks next season and going to the Knicks
— NYCDaFuture (@NYCDaFuture_) September 27, 2023
He knows they aren’t going to be able to get past the Bucks now. Dame/Giannis is going to be a tough duo to beat.
— Tglizz (@TheRealTglizz) September 27, 2023
— seansnoozy (@seansnoozy) September 27, 2023
Any longtime fan is already aware that tampering is happening all the time behind the scenes, and it’s really just a matter of which team gets caught The Heat are probably just as guilty as anyone when it comes to the practice, but unless they have some hard evidence or at least something more than the word of an anonymous source, nobody is going to buy what they are trying to sell. We should see soon enough if there is any credence to the claims.
For now, the only way forward for the Heat is to just move on, come together, and prepare for the new season as best as they can. Whatever happens with Lillard is not their concern anymore… unless the NBA finds that the Bucks are actually guilty of what they’re being accused of.
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