NBA Trade Rumors: Case for and against Miami Heat trading for Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard's future continues to be deliberated in NBA trade rumors and one such team that could acquire him this summer is the Miami Heat.
Lillard is currently playing with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics alongside Miami's young star Bam Adebayo and the pair seem to be forming a strong bond on the court. When asked who had been in his ear the most, the 24-year-old stated it to be Lillard with the two creating chemistry in the pick-and-roll.
This has only added to the NBA trade rumors surrounding a potential move for Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat. Achieving that, though, will be exceedingly difficult, something we will discuss in this article as we weigh up the positives and negatives of such a trade.
It should also be noted that the case will be made from the point of view of the Miami Heat and not from the Portland Trail Blazers perspective who will have their own perspective on a proposed offer from the Florida organization.
Making the case for the Miami Heat to trade for Damian Lillard
NBA trade rumors really began to swirl earlier this month when it was reported that Damian Lillard was going to request a trade to move away from Portland. Although he has vehemently denied these rumors, there is no smoke without fire and with the player power that exists in the league today, he could certainly force his way out of the franchise.
Bringing in Damian Lillard makes a lot of sense for the Miami Heat. Although they would lose a large chunk of their squad depth, he is the kind of player that makes them championship challengers again and is the third star they are reportedly looking for to team up with Jimmy Butler and Adebayo.
Lillard is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and one of the best clutch-time scorers in the game. He is a six-time All-Star and is currently playing at the peak of his abilities - though his previous form was already staggering.
In the past two campaigns, he has averaged 29.4 points per game, 7.8 assists and one steal while connecting with 90% of free-throw attempts (of which he takes over seven per contest).
No player who has averaged over nine three-point attempts over the past two years has had a greater success rate than Lillard (39.6%), an accuracy rating which improved in the playoffs (42.1%).
There is no denying that the Miami Heat struggled to score this season. Their regular sharpshooters lacked consistency and the franchise finished 25th for points scored.
They also finished in the bottom half of teams for 3-point percentage and ranked 15th for field-goal accuracy. It doesn't help when your two biggest stars, Butler and Adebayo, are not serial scorers.
But what they provide on defense, in rebounding and in playmaking, combined with Damian Lillard's points haul, could help the Miami Heat create a formidable trio. Although Damian Lillard's defense is passable at best (he had a rating of 118 last year), Butler and Adebayo could pick up the slack.
The Miami Heat have a window of opportunity to win now and by bringing in a player with big-game pedigree and playoff experience such as Lillard, they can challenge the Eastern Conference's elite again.
How trading for Damian Lillard could hold back the Miami Heat
For all the problems Damian Lillard could help solve with the Miami Heat, bringing him in may create even more. To attain the 31-year-old, the Heat would no doubt have to offer a monumental trade package.
Something that would include Tyler Herro for sure, but also Andre Iguodala, Kendrick Nunn or Goran Dragic, or a combination of them, for salary-matching purposes, Precious Achiuwa and future first-round picks.
That is a staggering amount of assets to give for a Miami Heat team that, as mentioned, struggled with scoring depth. Herro is a well-known marksman who averaged 15 points this year, while Nunn added 14.6 per game.
Both players are also considerably younger than Damian Lillard and have proven that they can step up in the NBA playoffs.
Speaking of younger players, the Miami Heat have already lost a lot of their future draft picks in previous trades. Therefore, this deal would limit their future selections even more and put in jeopardy the team's future trajectory beyond the short-term success that they are pursuing currently.
Overall, a deal for Damian Lillard depends on who else the Miami Heat are currently in the market for and if it is made known that he wants a move away from Portland.
Should the Heat fail to succeed in their pursuit of another star that would cost them less, they should look no further than going after Lillard if they want to win now. He would immediately solve their scoring and playmaking deficiencies on offense and provide years of postseason experience.