Miami Heat Don’t Hold Advantage In Potential Damian Lillard Trade: Report

It looks like the Portland Trail Blazers are playing hardball in any potential trade with the Miami Heat involving Damian Lillard.

As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers are willing to trade their All-Star guard to any team. In other words, that means the Heat do not hold an advantage over any other team in a trade involving the seven-time All-Star guard.

Wojnarowski notes the Blazers are seeking a combination of young players, draft picks and cap relief. They’re basically seeking the best possible deal out there.

The Heat have long been considered the favorites in any potential trade for Lillard due to their desire for a third star — they made an attempt to trade for Bradley Beal before he was traded to the Phoenix Suns — and because Lillard has openly stated that the Heat — along with the Brooklyn Nets — are one of two NBA teams he’d like to play for.

“Miami [Heat] is the obvious one and Bam [Adebayo] is my dog… Brooklyn [Nets] is another obvious one because Mikal Bridges is my dog too,” said Lillard on The Last Stand podcast back in June. “Both have capable rosters.”

When considering the Heat were three games away from winning the NBA title and factoring in that Lillard has never advanced to the NBA Finals, it’s a match that makes perfect sense for both sides. However, it has to make sense for the Blazers in order for that to happen.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT pitched a possible trade involving the Heat and Blazers which would see Miami flip guard Tyler Herro and swingman Duncan Robinson along with two of their first-round draft picks (2028 and 2030) in exchange for Lillard and potentially Jusef Nurkic, who still has three years and $55 million available left on his contract.

The Blazers wouldn’t necessarily gain in the personnel department from that potential trade considering they have little use for Herro or Robinson. They’re already loaded at guard without Lillard with rookie Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons in the backcourt.

The advantage would lie in the draft picks gained along with getting rid of the contract of Nurkic, who averaged just 13.3 points per game in 52 games last season.

The Heat’s best chance in acquiring Lillard may come down to a third team being included. Haynes mentioned that any potential Heat-Blazers trade will likely feature a third franchise.

As Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, the involvement of a third team likely centers on a franchise willing to pick up Herro’s massive contract which is for four years and $120 million.

“The Herro problem is a bit harder to solve,” writes Quinn. “The Heat and Blazers would need a third team, and finding a fit for Herro isn’t especially easy. Very few teams are so thin at guard that they’d want to make a nine-figure commitment to Herro. Would Brooklyn do so with Spencer Dinwiddie’s expiring contract and a first-round pick of their own? They’d likely need to shed some more money for luxury tax purposes. How about Utah? The Jazz need a primary ball-handler and have no shortage of assets. There are possibilities here, but it’s not clear how many.”

While Herro remains a solid scorer capable of growing even more — over 20 points per game averaged over the past two seasons — he’s a defensive liability, with the Heat allowing 115 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. That was the third-worst mark of any of Miami’s players while playing for the second-best defensive unit in the NBA.

Finding a third team and a franchise willing to take over Herro’s contract will likely be the determining factor as the Heat look to acquire Lillard.