NBA Rumors - Insider reveals that the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers could begin talks in a few days for a Damian Lillard trade
Damian Lillard’s request to be traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Miami Heat could gain traction in the next few days.
“Dame” has already made it known that he wants to play for the Eastern Conference champs. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers are looking for the best possible return for the superstar guard.
Here’s what Marc J. Spears had to say about a potential get-together between the two teams (via James Burnes):
"I talked to Aaron Goodwin, Damian Lillard's agent. … He and [Blazers GM] Joe Cronin had a really good discussion today. Aaron is hopeful that over the next couple of days in Las Vegas the Heat and Blazers will get in a room. Hopefully, hash something out."
Marc_Spears https://t.co/gGsRn5QwqR
The Miami Heat are reportedly willing to trade any player on their roster except for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to acquire Lillard. According to most analysts, the best package they can offer involves Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Jamie Jaquez and Nikola Jovic.
To sweeten the deal, Miami has to reportedly include a 2028 first-round pick, a 2029 pick swap and a 2030 first-round pick.
Lillard has a no-trade clause, which gives the Portland Trail Blazers all the leverage in this situation. They don’t necessarily have to accommodate the point guard’s request.
Considering the haul the Utah Jazz got in the Rudy Gobert trade, it’s unlikely Joe Cronin will accept the Heat's offer.
Perhaps the Miami Heat can rope in a third or fourth team into trade talks involving “Dame.” to make the deal come through. As it stands, the Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly prepared to wait until the right offer comes for their franchise player.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski had this to say about the Miami Heat’s best offer for Lillard (via Evan Sidery):
"Portland, I’m told, is not impressed with what Miami has to offer. While it is Lillard’s preference to go to the Heat, Portland has to get back maximum value for Damian Lillard if they’re going to trade him. … For Portland, they’re gonna take their time with this process.”
The Trail Blazers are “not impressed” with the Heat’s trade offer for Damian Lillard, which could lead to a deal elsewhere now, per @wojespn:
- While Damian Lillard prefers Miami, Portland needs “maximum value” in any trade.
- Miami needs at minimum a third team to take on… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/lTvmtFUAgV
The Brooklyn Nets have the kind of draft capital the Portland Trail Blazers are looking for to trade Damian Lillard
Another Eastern Conference team could possibly put together an enticing package that the Portland Trail Blazers could be interested in. The Brooklyn Nets have first-round picks in 2025, 2027 (2), 2028 (2), 2029 (2) and 2030.
Furthermore, Brooklyn could also send Royce O’Neale, Cam Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie, all players with expiring contracts.
In this scenario, the Trail Blazers can get a ton of picks and future cap relief. The rebuild that they’re now doing will be fast-tracked if they can get veteran help for Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons.
Windhorst makes a case for the Brooklyn Nets to land Damian Lillard, “they are ready to contend now” https://t.co/AQgZexLbmZ
The Nets would have a starting five of Lillard, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith. It’s a trade that should help both Brooklyn and Portland.
The offer is also arguably more enticing than the one the Miami Heat can put on the table.
Also read: Miami ready to give up everyone except Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for Damian Lillard, per NBA Insider - "The Heat are all-in on this"