Damian Lillard said that the only place that he wanted to play was Miami. Jimmy Butler dropped some not-so-subtle hints about wanting the team to bring Lillard in to be his superstar teammate. But in the end, Portland traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in order to compete with the best in the Eastern Conference, and Butler and the Heat were on the outside looking in when it came to big NBA off-season acquisitions.

NBA: Lillard Daps Up Jimmy Butler In The Halls Before Game

Damian Lillard and Jimmy Butler ran into each other before Heat-Bucks

Respect pic.twitter.com/Qlu6Q6uKlC

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2023

The Heat have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start by going 1-2 in their first three games, but had Butler sitting out one of them for a very early “rest” game. He will be active and available for Monday’s contest, which will be the must-see game of the night in the association.

Miami will continue their early-season road trip by taking on Lillard’s Milwaukee Bucks tonight, a game in which the home team is favored by 6.5 points. And ahead of the action, there was a surprise meeting between Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard in the hallways underneath Viserv Forum.

Cameras caught the interaction. Lillard was making his way to the Bucks’ locker room when he glanced to his right before turning a corner. He caught sight of someone walking in through a side door, and quickly recognizes it as Butler. The two smile and embrace before walking off in seemingly the same direction, though not necessarily with each other.

Lillard And Company Looking To Rebound, Heat Need A Win Too

Trae Young pulls it from DEEP

The Hawks leads the Bucks by 28

pic.twitter.com/DCQbEiQe25

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2023

The two will have plenty of time to talk on the court and exchange any kind of pleasantries before and after the game. But given the media circus that surrounded the long, drawn out process that was Lillard’s eventual trade to Milwaukee, fans and the media ran wild with the footage of the bond that could have been.

The Bucks are looking for a bounce back game after losing by 17 to the Hawks on Sunday. Postgame quotes from the team’s stars admitted that they were “still learning”, and hope to be better the next time out. Milwaukee won its first game of the season, and is sitting at 1-1.

The Heat began the season with a 1-point win over the Pistons, but have lost their last two games.