Damian Lillard and Miami Heat Can Finally Be Together? | Bucks Waive Dame, Could Heat Pick Him Up?

Damian Lillard and Miami Heat Can Finally Be Together? | Bucks Waive Dame, Could Heat Pick Him Up?

Hey, welcome on in guys. Tobin here with you and thanks for checking out the channel. Hope you’re doing well out there. If you guys could subscribe, that’d be great. And appreciate you stopping by. Hey, I got a little thing coming up. Programming note. If you guys want to check it out tomorrow on the Towen and Leroy Show, weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. 560 WQAM. You guys can see this on the YouTube page over there live around 11:30. We are scheduled to have Casperis Yakonis’ uh college coach Brad Underwood, head coach of the Fighting Lioni. He is scheduled to join the program. So, if you want to learn a little bit more about your first round pick, he should be joining the show tomorrow in the 11:00 hour. Should be around 11:30 Eastern. Um, and we stream live there. I always put the uh the link of 560’s page. If you guys could could subscribe there, please do. went on to today’s radio show. There was a lot going on. It was hot, heavy, a lot of moves that were happening. Uh first off, um we found out that the Milwaukee Bucks, who last night lost Brook Lopez to the LA Clippers, uh they had signed Miles Turner from the Indiana Pacers, stretch big man from the Indiana Pacers, signed a four-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks to become their new starting center. And we were all very confused for a second because we’re like, what? They what money do they have? Well, we found out uh the more shocking move, even more shocking than taking the Eastern Conference champions starting center and rival. Do not forget these guys. This these are two franchises that don’t like each other very much. Uh Damen Lillard, Dame Dollar was waved by the Milwaukee Bucks. They’re going to stretch his contract. And that is absolutely bananas. Dame Dollar Milwaukee in the first place, he wanted to be in Miami. The Bucks decide after this man worked his way back from a blood clot to be in their postseason series. Blew out his Achilles and their thanks for that was see you dude we’re waving you. We’re stretching you. And I know why everyone’s going to say, “Oh, poor Damian Lillard. He’s got a he’s got a 100 plus million guaranteed coming his way.” Boo. I get you. You’re a rat bastard. Uh, but like, dude, the fact that he never wanted to be there in the first place, tries to make the best out of it. And look, I get it. All that money’s guaranteed, but you still got to feel for the guy. like trying to make the best out of a situation that stinks and you didn’t want to be in Milwaukee in the first place and this is the thanks you get. You’re just like, “Hey, want we don’t believe in you anymore. See you. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Rough. Now, some statements have come out. His agent says, uh, Aaron Goodwin, our old friend, says, quote, “It’s an incredible opportunity for Damian. He receives all his money guaranteed, provides the opportunity to decide his next destination as an unrestricted free agent. He gets the chance to rehab at home if he chooses to or be with and to be with his family and his kids next year. The goal for him is to take time and make a decision on what his next destination will be. Uh Mark Spears uh also some ties to Dame says don’t feel bad for Dame. Win-win. He has a player option next that he consider not exercising. I don’t I don’t know, dude. turning out what was that 60 million. A lot of dough on the table. Uh, no secret living away from his family in Milwaukee was a challenge. He gets his money now an unrestricted free agent and he gets to decide where he wants to go. Obviously, we were all curious locally, what does this mean for his interest in coming to the team that he always wanted to come to, Miami? We know Damen Lillard, of course, we all looked upon him and and in a lot of ways, this trade is very very sensitive to us all, right? We get very mad at Joe Cronin, who could rot in basketball hell as far as I’m concerned. Um, we get very mad at the Heat because they weren’t able to pull this move off. Maybe got a little too agree. the Heat and Aaron Goodwin with their behavior in this. So much so that they basically had to get told uh or the agent had to get told shut up by the by the by the league. Um but Damen Lillard’s been nothing but a standup player his entire career. Was loyal all the way with Portland up until they wanted to blow it up and tank and then gets to Milwaukee where he didn’t want to be. going through hard times with his family, having a divorce go through and has this as like the end of the era. Um, it’s and so it sucks. I’m a big Damen Lillard fan. Just as an aside, like this wasn’t just like it wasn’t just that I wanted the Heat to get Damen. Dame Lillard’s probably my favorite non-heat player. And it’s not just because Stones hits big shots. Maybe it’s because he’s a huge boxing fan, too. You guys know I love the fight game, but I’ve always really had a soft spot in my soft spot in my heart for Damen Lill. I really really love Dame Dollar Dala. Um, so there’s there’s part of me that’s like I can’t believe this is how it ends, right? Like it’s like the only team that benefited out of this was the Boston Celtics somehow someway because you know Milwaukee Damon Giannis didn’t really work out and this is the ending of it. Portland I I guess they’re fine. I you know DeAndre Eaton just got waved or or bought out and the Heat have obviously been an absolute mess since their finals run and so many ways failing to deliver on this trade was the end of everything. And yeah, look some may say like maybe Damen Liller looks at Miami now and is like eh, you know, instead of being the final piece of a championship, I know that this guy has to be yearning for a ring and I don’t know where the Miami Heat are going to go from here. It seems based on reports, based on actions, Miami is going to lean very very young this year. Does adding a Damen Lillard make a ton of sense it can in some ways because one um you know you are banking on the talent. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to cost you very much. Um and you know I I think one thing that you you do know is I think it would make Bam Adabio very very happy. Uh that’s his guy. That’s that’s a that’s a person he’s very very close with and I think that they would like the opportunity to see that through. I think that’s somebody that he would absolutely you know we’re talking probably knocking on the door the end of Duncan Robinson would love to see what he could do in the chemistry with somebody like Damen Lillard and what and what the masterful arts of that would be like together. But um you know maybe Damen Lillard looks at this and he’s like h you know I don’t know if that’s that’s that’s where I want to be. I’m not sure. There’s also reports out there um that Giannis Antompo was upset by this. Is that the case? I don’t know. It was reported by Chris Haynes, who is basically a Damen Lillard confidant. Like, this guy is is Damen Lillard’s, you know, go-to guy. And so, if he says something like that, you take it with a a great deal of validity. Now, there’s other reports. I believe Shams today said uh that you know D that Giannis had a big part in recruiting Chris or Miles Turner to his team. I don’t know. Is is Giannis Takmpo really hurt by the Dame Lo thing or is he a snake in the grass? Because like look, I’ll give the Bucks credit on this. Um, they stuck their beak where it doesn’t belong. So, they get very, very little sympathy for me, but that’s really a one-man franchise. And they have literally cut the heart out of everything that they’ve had with that championship team. Brook Lopez is in there. They sent Chris Middleton to Washington for Kyle Kosma. That’s cutthroat. Pat Coneton’s now gone. Drew Holiday obviously was in the Dame trade and he was a champion and they flipped his ass and Drew Holiday rewarded them by saying, “Hey, I win a championship.” Um, they basically have ousted everybody who’s not Bobby Portoris and I can’t really blame for that because he probably whooped their ass. So, probably a smart move on the front office’s part to not mess with Bobby Portoris. But look, dude, they’ve they have moved heaven and earth to try and make their team viable for Giannis and Dubo. So there is part of me that can respect that of their organization, but it also reeks of desperation. And you’re talking about basically you bring in Miles Turner at, you know, 25 a year, but it’s really, you know, almost 50 million a year because all of that cost of Damen Lillard to even have him on your books. And that’s a lot for Miles Turn. Miles Turner is a nice player, but this is a guy that like Indiana’s been looking to probably, you know, get out of there for for year after year after year. And they’re just like, “All right, I guess this is what’s going to happen. We just made the Eastern Conference Finals.” They see they know like they’re like, “You don’t think we can find somebody to replace Miles Turner?” Like out of all the guys that they have on their championship team, to me it feels like Miles Turner’s the most replaceable and the guy they probably been looking to replace the most. Now, obviously, they’re going into a down year. They don’t have Tyrese Hallebertton. Um, but getting back to Miami, the Yeah, I I selfishly for me, I would love Damen Lillard on the Heat because as I’ve pointed out, I’m a huge Dame fan. I get people who are concerned and are like, “Oh, dude, do him and Tyler make sense?” And look, I don’t know. This is essentially like if you bring him here, you’re bringing him here to rehab with the team and then see what it is next year for him. And I I I feel like if you’re knowing there’s going to probably be a robust market for people who are going to get Damen Lillard on the Chiefskis, you want to be the team that shows that you want him the most. And I think the heat where they effed up in this whole thing is they went at this trying to bully Joe Cronin and you know almost felt a little too cocky going into this moves. Well, now that Damen Lillard it’s in his control. I think that if you really do want Damen Lillard, and the reports are, yeah, they’re interested in Damen Lillard, that you’re going to want to do what you can to you’re going to actually you’re going to absolutely want to do what you can to make the guy feel wanted. If you truly feel like you’re at that part of your your build and you’re talking about banking on the rehabilitation of a legend and seeing, you know, what what this comeback tour can be like. Now, there can be some skepticism with it because, you know, if I were to parallel it to a pretty recent example and somebody who I think was even, you know, younger at the time when they this all happened, but it’s a little reminiscent pretty recently of Victor Oladipo where Victor Oleo like really wanted to be on the Heat. The Heat ended up getting him super cheap on a deal with Houston, but his leg was butchered and he was never the same. And then he got another injury and we got to see like a a very short stint of the best of Victor Oladipo. I don’t know where the Miami Heat uh you know and and so it never and I feel terrible because it’s like Vic it just never got you. He wanted to be in Miami so bad. Dweed guy and and never got to see the best of him with the heat and what he could provide. So yeah, it’s a little reminiscent of that, but you know, now you got a guy coming off like Vic came in with a leg already kind of messed up and then had to get that redone and it took basically half the season for him to get back going. Ends up messing up his leg again in the playoffs. with Dame, you’re in a situation where it’s like I I don’t think it’s even going to cost what they paid Vic that that that that second contract. And he is older. I mean, Victor Divo is only 33 right now. So, Dame, I think, is turning 35 soon. So, I don’t know. From my standpoint, I’m all in on it. I don’t really even, you know, and and what else who else will be in competition for? I don’t know. I I think that plenty of teams are going to be like, “Yeah, we’re going to bank on the idea of Damen Lillard being added.” But like you, mind you, it’s a little bit of a strange situation because whoever gets him is essentially red shirting him this year. This is it’s just a matter of does he want to rehab this year and be away. I’m sure this stuff will take time and and they will make calls, but I even the betting odds that came out like Miami was the favorite and and obvious why like he wanted this is the place he wanted to be. The captain of the team is very close with him. Uh you know, team USA respect for Eric Spolstra feels like that’s where he was supposed to end up all along. The big difference this time around though is he’s not becoming the final piece with Jimmy and Bam where it seemed like he was a seamless perfect fit for those guys. Um, it’s got to work with with Tyler Hero, assuming that, you know, Tyler’s contract stuff all goes smoothly by next year and he’s still here and and they’re and they’re in that kind of a mode, but you know, it just kind Look, I know it’s not maybe the most exciting thing because you’re you’re feeling like Damen Lillard, you’re getting him as damaged goods. you’re not getting the Damen Lillard. Um, but it also feels very much like Miami is not going to take even if this results in like them having to wave Terry Roier because no one’s going to want Terry Roier. Like Terry Roier is not going to have a role on this team this year. So, do they, you know, use that roster spot? Now, they they’re probably going to have a roster spot because it seems very much like Duncan Robinson is not going to be here. Um, so do they use that on Dame and see like what that is to to to kind of build around and make that work? I I I don’t know. But I I I do think there’s a lot of people who would very much be uh interested in seeing what that is going to be like for this Miami Heat team. But man, dude, that was uh that was coldblooded. Uh the other piece of this that I should mention while we’re doing all these topics uh is the Giannis element to it. And I I can’t make heads or tails of I I don’t think Chris Haynes is a liar. Um you know, I think of him as being a credible reporter. So him throwing out there that hey Giannis is like I will say Giannis was very chipper today on social media. Uh last night he was saying like underachiever my ass and like throwing up all his hardware and then today he’s like saying goodbye to Brook Lopez and Brook Lopez should get his number retired and then all these moves happen and then it’s like zero dark 30 he’s off the map. He’s off the grid. So I guess we’ll have to see. Um the one thing I will say about this one way or another if you make these moves in your Milwaukee you ain’t trading them this summer. So, I guess any pipe dreams, not that it felt like not like any Heat fan had a ton of confidence anyway. Um, and that’s even if Giannis came out and said Miami and only Miami. Even if that happened, my people’s confidence is a little weaned right now. But to me, if you’re the Bucks and you do this, hell, dude, I think they’re basically telling you we’re we’re running the season. We’re not trading Yiannis Tubo. that this feels like even I know there was some semblance of oh what about the trade deadline what about the if you’re doing this dude you’re not trading Giannis this year you can’t you cannot sink $20 million a year in cost in Damen Lillard not being on your roster and then another 25 a year of Miles Turner being on your roster and just be like oh we’re going to wave the white flag by February they would have to so putly bad and D and and and Yiannis would have to make such a stink for that to even like be close to the case. But we’ll see. We’ll see how it all plays out. The the Damy Lill thing though, man. Dame Dollar I can’t tell you. Like I’d still get I I would I would still get the gooseies getting to do this at the Heat’s house. Like that that that is a that is a day that I will look forward to. That is a day that I will look forward to. Wish Damen Low the the speediest of recoveries. I’m sorry Joe Cronin is a rat bastard. I’m sorry that the Bucks are heartless monsters. And I hope uh I hope we get to see him in a heat uniform.

Tobin reacts to the Bucks moves of signing Myles Turner and waiving and stretching Damian Lillard. Can the Miami Heat and Dame finally be together?
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