Damian Lillard Prefers Jimmy Butler's Miami Heat over Jayson Tatum's Celtics For Hypothetical Trade: "Bam is my dawg"
Damian Lillard trade rumors are heating up. The Portland Trail Blazers have decisions to make. Lillard has previously said he does not want to be a part of a young rebuild and wants to stay in Portland only if they have a competitive roster.
In a recent interview, Lillard discussed potential trade destinations if Portland does decide to move the superstar. Choosing between the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets, Lillard had a confident answer about where he desires.
“Miami obviously,” Lillard said. “Miami is an obvious one. Bam (Adebayo) is my dawg.”
Damian Lillard says Miami is ‘obviously’ his first choice over Boston, New York and Brooklyn in a hypothetical trade
“Bam is my dawg”
(Via @Showtime )
https://t.co/9XhBZq3kIp
The Heat have shown they are aggressive and can rework cap space to make any trade necessary to acquire talent. Lillard could be a great fit next to Butler and his friend Adebayo in Miami if they can make a trade work.
Miami was not the only place Lillard admitted to desiring. He also has connections in Brooklyn.
“Brooklyn is another obvious one because Mikal Bridges is my dawg too,” Lillard said.
Bridges was Brooklyn’s leading scorer down the stretch after being traded from Phoenix. Bridges and Lillard could be an interesting combo.
Trail Blazers' potential moves
Earlier this season, the Blazers benched most of their highest-paid players, including Lillard. Portland went 9-1 down the last stretch of the season, playing mostly young players. Portland missed out on the postseason for the second straight year. The year previously, Portland struggled when Lillard was out with an injury.
.@stephenasmith says Damian Lillard needs to get out of Portland:
"I have been BEGGING Damian Lillard to get the hell out of Portland. ... He's not winning in Portland. It will not happen." https://t.co/Og6fuDFexY
Portland also traded away C.J. McCollum in the season when Lillard was injured. All signs point to them moving to acquiring assets and focusing on developing a young core.
Portland traded McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans for Josh Hart, other players, and multiple draft picks. Hart then moved to the New York Knicks and is another player attempting to recruit Lillard to his team. Portland did make an active move by trading for Jerami Grant before this season. He played well but did not spark success with the club.
Lillard has four years remaining on his current contract. There is a player option in the final year for $63.2 million. Lillard is not eligible to be traded until June 9.