Damian Lillard Heat trade rumors: 7x All-Star 'pretty close' to joining Miami

Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat might be getting pretty close to happening, according to the latest NBA rumors. Lillard has requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers and named the Eastern Conference champions as his preferred destination.

On a recent episode of the "Blazer Focused" podcast for The Oregonian, Portland beat reporter Aaron J. Fentress discussed the potential Lillard trade to Miami.

Fentress heard from his sources that the two teams are "pretty close" to agreeing to a deal:

"If the Blazers can come out of this with four first-round picks, at least one or two young talents, and then salary-filler, that should get it done," Fentress said.

"I'm told that right now, Miami has three firsts, Tyler Herro, filler and maybe a young player already, like willing to go with that. The question is finding that fourth first-round pick.

"And if you don't want Herro, you just have to find someone to take Herro and give you another first-round pick. Then you're at four firsts and at least one young player and salary filler, maybe even two young players. I'm told it's pretty close, they just have to figure out. They hadn't really spent much time working it out over the last couple of days." (h/t HoopsHype)

Damian Lillard finally requested a trade back on July 1 after 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard made the decision and preferred to team up with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in Miami.

The 32-year-old superstar guard previously hinted at the possibility of playing for the Heat or Brooklyn Nets, but Miami is in pole position to acquire him. The Heat could acquire more first-round picks to offer to Portland if they trade Tyler Herro.

Herro also counts as a young player for the Blazers' demand but might not fit alongside Shaedon Sharpe. The Heat also have other young players such as Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to sweeten the deal.

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Damian Lillard could make Miami Heat instant contenders

Damian Lillard playing against the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat had an improbable run to the NBA Finals last season but came up short against the Denver Nuggets. The Heat were the No. 8 seed, knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in stunning fashion.

Jimmy Butler carried the Heat in the first three rounds before losing steam in the NBA Finals. Bam Adebayo turned into an offensive player but wasn't effective enough to change the series against Denver. Tyler Herro, their third-best player all season long, was out with an injury after just one playoff game.

If the Heat can add Damian Lillard to their roster, they have might a real chance of coming out of the Eastern Conference again. They will have three legitimate stars, while Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra are more than capable of instilling Heat culture in any incoming players who will fill out the roster.

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