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Barry Jackson: I can confirm, via Giannis associate, what Windy has been saying that Giannis "absolutely" wants to go to Heat. Excited about possibility; has been exploring life options in Miami. (Can't elaborate on that yet). BUT (and it's a big BUT), like with Lillard, it's not a case of Miami-and-absolutely nowhere else. In other words, there's NO indication that he will tell every other team that he wouldn't sign extension with any of them. There are believed to be a few other teams that he would sign an extension with, with Boston reportedly among them.
Jim Owczarski: "Jon Horst does not leak. He has a very small front office and he does not discuss anything. Quite famously, and this might not be known to Celtics fans, the Damian Lillard trade, he literally created a bunker in the Bucks locker room in the offseason. There were people on his immediate staff that did not know what he was doing."
Marc Stein: "The working presumption when you talk to people around the league is that the Bucks instead of keeping Jaylen Brown for themselves would rather move him for assets to get younger and really start over, because remember, so many of Milwaukee's picks are out the door when they made the Damian Lillard trade. So that is another reason why you hear a lot about Portland, because obviously the Bucks would love to get Portland involved in this thing as one of the facilitating teams, so maybe the Bucks get back one of the picks that they used to get Lillard there."
Per league and team sources, the Bucks appear to be seeking clarity from several suitors as to what they would actually be willing to offer before making a final decision. The Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic, the sources say, are known to be among them. The Portland Trail Blazers are known to have interest in trading for Antetokounmpo, but it appears more likely — if the Bucks have their way — that they would be involved as a third-team as a way for Milwaukee to regain control of some of the picks they lost in the Damian Lillard trade in 2023.
Run It Back: Bobby Portis spent the last 10 days working out with his friend Damian Lillard 🤝 BP says Dame looks good 👀 "Everybody knows who he is, but he will definitely reintroduce himself to the world." 🔥
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With the Heat among the teams most aggressively pursuing a trade for Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, Jaquez has been among the names speculated to be in Miami’s potential trade package for Antetokounmpo. Jaquez was also involved in trade rumors connected to the Heat’s pursuit of Damian Lillard during the 2023 offseason, but Lillard was ultimately dealt to the Bucks shortly after Jaquez was drafted by Miami with the 18th overall pick that summer. “I feel like it’s just the way it is being on a Miami Heat team,” Jaquez said from the NBA House in São Paulo on Friday afternoon during a Zoom call with reporters. “I think that it’s kind of normal. I’ve been here for what, three years now? And every summer there’s a big rumor. So I’ve kind of just gotten used to it. It’s nice to get out of the country and see new things, and Brazil is beautiful.”
In a positive tone, he reflected on his period in Oregon, where, according to him, there was strong chemistry within the team. “We had that great mindset, starting with Damian Lillard, who was a real leader. He led by example. I don’t know how to explain it in the best way, but whatever he wanted others to do, that’s how it was. He could be loud, but he always led by example, whether in practice or on the plane — the guy was never late.
Jusuf Nurkic: "We never had any problems in the locker room. Whoever came in through trades had to fit into that system. Until Carmelo (laughs). He kind of stepped outside the system because he was always late, he missed almost every meeting. The coach was traumatized by that and didn’t want anyone to be late, and he didn’t have many rules, but he stuck to that one. Carmelo wasn’t like he didn’t want to come (laughs), he was like: nobody told me. If practice was at 10, he would show up at 10:45 because nobody told him it started then. He’s not a bad person at all. Far from it. He just had that flexibility, and the coach couldn’t really say anything, which made it even funnier. Later we would joke: where is Carmelo? There were no problems at all.
Jusuf Nurkic: The bubble was the hardest and the best experience in the world, probably the best basketball ever played — it was just basketball, food, and sleep. We got tested every day, and Carmelo figured out that if he didn’t take the test, he had 24 hours free. We would all be practicing, and then wonder how he got a day off while we were working. He wouldn’t show up for testing and would get a day off. It was like elementary school, they would take you by the hand to go get tested. We would come back from practice and he would already be waiting by the bus to be the first to take the test. The coaches were thinking about how he would fit in, but it was really great with Carmelo. We all hung out off the court, we were together more than with our families, especially a few of us. I remember talking with Dame, McCollum, and myself about how much we missed OG Anunoby from New York…”
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Basketball Sphere: "Damian Lillard would pull up a three-pointer from half court. The next possession, Mario Hezonja would do the same. I'd tell him, 'Hezi, you can't do that...' He was always an incredible talent. But he didn't want to change himself or accept a smaller role on an NBA team." Former Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic shared his perspective on why Mario Hezonja never fully lived up to his potential in the NBA.
Damian Lillard’s ex-wife, Kay'la Lillard, wants to grill a woman she believes may have had a baby with the NBA star ... TMZ has learned. According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Kay’La fired off a subpoena asking a woman named Justie Wolf to answer questions about Justie’s child and Damian.
Jusuf Nurkic: “We had that great mindset, starting with Damian Lillard, who was a real leader. He led by example. I don’t know how to explain it in the best way, but whatever he wanted others to do, that’s how it was. He could be loud, but he always led by example, whether in practice or on the plane — the guy was never late. We never had any problems in the locker room. Whoever came in through trades had to fit into that system. Until Carmelo (laughs). He kind of stepped outside the system because he was always late, he missed almost every meeting. The coach was traumatized by that and didn’t want anyone to be late, and he didn’t have many rules, but he stuck to that one."
Damian Lillard: Yes I would.
Yes I would. https://t.co/ASPoUWC8xA
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 29, 2026
