The Miami Heat have waited the entire NBA offseason for this very moment. There was a genuine belief within the organization that Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard would request a trade and he became its priority moving forward.
Lillard did just that on July 1 as his agent Aaron Goodwin submitted a formal trade request to Portland’s front office. The 32-year-old superstar’s intentions were clear at that moment as his only preferred destination was Miami.
Now, the Heat and Trail Blazers are working on a trade that would send Lillard to South Florida. Portland is still trying to grasp its new reality and that is why it has not committed to sending its beloved superstar to Miami.
The organization wants to take the best offer but it doesn’t have the full leverage in this situation. Portland’s star player is on the wrong side of 30 years old with a massive contract spanning over the next four seasons.
While Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, it will make it hard for the Trail Blazers to send him anywhere else outside of his preferred destination. The latest updates continue to favor the Heat as trade talks continue into the third day of his trade request.
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Damian Lillard remains adamant he only wants to play for the Miami Heat
It was inevitable that several NBA organizations would be in pursuit of Lillard after he requested a trade from the Trail Blazers; however, it only took a few minutes from the report to know what his intentions were moving forward.
Several reports came out that Lillard only wanted to play for the Heat. There are numerous reasons why this is the case, ranging from his relationship with Miami center Bam Adebayo to the thoughts of being the final piece to the team’s championship puzzle.
This hasn’t stopped organizations around the league from trying to acquire Lillard. The door was left open after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Portland is open for business with everyone and that the Heat don’t have an advantage due to his demands.
Despite the Trail Blazers’ outgoing desires to explore trade destinations outside of Miami, the 32-year-old’s stance has not wavered. According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Lillard remains committed to only playing for the Heat moving forward.
This is why the idea of another NBA team trading for Lillard seems unlikely. Why would an organization give up a significant portion of its future in a bidding war, only to have the reality set in that he doesn’t want to be there?
In fact, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Lillard’s openness about being in Miami is expected to keep other teams from seriously pushing forward in trade talks without assurance that he would be happy. This is why there is a strong belief that Lillard will end up with the Heat.
There is only one place the seven-time NBA All-Star wants to play and that is in South Florida. The reports of other teams being interested will continue to come out until a deal is made; however, it truly feels like a leverage play as of right now.
It feels inevitable that Lillard will join Adebayo and Jimmy Butler in a Heat uniform next season but the major question is what a potential trade will look like overall. This is why the process will take some time as Portland and Miami look to meet in the middle.
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Evaluating a potential trade package that lands Damian Lillard in a Miami Heat uniform
It is clear that Lillard wants to be in Miami and now it is up to the front offices to make a deal work for everyone involved. The Heat are going all-in and this is the right approach as an NBA superstar is ready to join the team.
Any trade package will likely start with Tyler Herro but it may not be to the Trail Blazers. The organization has Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe under contract so there isn’t a need for Herro.
This is where another team comes in handy. Both the Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs have been linked as third teams in a potential deal with the former being the best situation. Brooklyn could use another scoring guard after losing Seth Curry and trading Joe Harris this offseason.
The Heat could send Herro to the Nets and work on a package that is suitable for Portland. It will take a major collaboration and complex negotiations but the following baseline could be good for everyone.
Miami receives Lillard, Portland receives Simmons, and Brooklyn receives Herro. There will be several other salaries and picks being moved but this baseline would be beneficial for every team and allow a trade to get done sooner rather than later.
There is always the possibility that a fourth team is brought into the mix, such as the Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder since their acquisition of Victor Oladipo is not official yet. There are plenty of moving parts but it will take time.
At the end of the day, the Heat should be willing to include anyone and anything outside of Butler and Adebayo. Miami wants to get a deal done sooner rather than later and it makes sense to come to a compromise with the Trail Blazers.
The end goal is to get Lillard in a Miami Heat uniform. There is no other alternative that is acceptable to Miami and Lillard, which is why it is in everyone’s best interest to make sure this trade is completed in the coming days or weeks.