The Damian Lillard trade could involve multiple teams beyond the Heat and Blazers.
Beyond the Heat and Blazers, other teams could be involved in the Damian Lillard trade.
According to various sources, a Damian Lillard deal between the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers may involve several teams.
The Miami Heat and Portland Trail Damian haven’t talked much about trading for Damian Lillard for several months, but this week it seems like things have changed.
The Blazers have reportedly started looking for potential trade packages around the league in exchange for Lillard, the seven-time All-Star who wanted a move to Miami on July 1. Multiple teams might be involved in those frameworks.
There are currently “discussions for a deal involving trading Damhttps://www.espn.in/nba/player/_/id/6606/damian-lillardian Lillard before camp begins on October 2,” sources informed Portland sports radio host Danny Marang.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald noted in a tweet, “The Blazers are now taking Lillard conversations seriously after going weeks without speaking to the Heat. Heat has waited patiently since they are aware that acquiring Lillard would provide them with a clear path to advancement.
One of the changes might be the participation of several clubs in a deal. The Heat may be willing to trade Damian Lillard for Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and several first-round picks, but the Blazers have made it clear that they want more in exchange.
It’s also thought that Portland would prefer not to acquire a second guard in a Lillard trade. Scoot Henderson was selected by the Blazers with the third overall pick, so there is little need for Herro to join a crowded backcourt that already features Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe.
While more difficult, involving other teams in the transaction may result in the Blazers receiving the kind of assets they desire. Teams including the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Phoenix Suns have reportedly explored participating in a transaction, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports.
Deandre Ayton might be involved if Phoenix plays. Ayton’s willingness to play a supporting role on a star-studded team that includes Kevin Durant may raise questions in Phoenix.
Devin Booker, the recently acquired Bradley Beal, as well as his capacity to serve as the defensive anchor for new head coach Frank Vogel For months, the Suns reportedly considered dealing with the 25-year-old center.
The Blazers seem like a logical destination, given that Ayton may provide them with a long-term frontcourt solution to match with their developing guards.
A logical deadline for a Lillard trade had always been the start of training camp. Although Portland doesn’t have to trade Lillard before then, it had been anticipated that the urgency would increase as the season’s start approached.
Three teams who have a chance to capture Miami Heat star Damian Lillard but are unlikely to do so
Recent reports suggest that Portland Trail Blazers may look to trade Damian Lillard somewhere other than Miami, his favorite destination, as we wait for trade negotiations between the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers to pick him back up.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN claims that the Heat “want Damian Lillard. They only want him for the smallest amount of sacrifice. In a sense, they are daring Portland to explore the market and see if they can discover anything better.
On a recent broadcast of Locked On NBA, Matt Moore of the Action Network said that the Toronto Raptors have “kicked the tires” on Damian Lillard.
Lillard has made it obvious that Miami is the only place he wants to go. In the event Damian Lillard is dealt to a team other than Miami, the Miami Herald reported this week that “he is expected to ask to be traded to the Heat.”
However, there can be certain groups eager to take a chance and convince Lillard of their ambition to win a championship. The aforementioned Raptors, who have previously made significant swings that resulted in championships (see: Leonard, Kawhi), may be one such squad.
Anunoby seems like a no-brainer for Portland at first glance, but he’ll be a free agency next summer (assuming he chooses to forego his $19.9 million option) and might receive a raise close to the maximum. The rebuilding Blazers shouldn’t commit 25% of their salary space to a 27-year-old wing who will probably reach his potential as a third option on a contending team.
Scottie Barnes is the top young player for Toronto. They could move the 22-year-old former Rookie of the Year, but would they be willing to? The topic has generated a lot of discussion on popular social media platforms, yet we rarely see players like Barnes (young, inexpensive, boundless upside) dealt for players like Lillard (aged, costly, constrained window).
It wouldn’t be comparable to trading for Kawhi to acquire Lillard. Kawhi was 27 years old when he was acquired by the Raptors, right in the thick of his heyday. They exchanged DeMar DeRozan’s bad deal for his one year remaining on it as well. In other words, Toronto was saved from salary cap horror by trading for Kawhi. They would plunge into its blazing depths if they traded for Lillard.
That being said, Toronto’s prospective offer is limited to a collection of supporting players and late-round draft picks. The first-round pick the Raptors dealt to San Antonio is protected through 2026, which means they can’t trade a first until 2028. This is also important to note. The offer is essentially a scaled-down version of Miami’s pu pu platter.
The fact that Chicago holds Portland’s first-round pick in 2024 makes a trade call between these two teams more intriguing. An effective method to start negotiations may be to trade the choice back to the Trail Blazers (which are protected through 2028).
But things became tricky after that. Like Lillard, Zach LaVine is well-known but also owes a substantial sum of money over the following four years ($178 million). Tyler Herro likewise provides the same redundancy issues, but he is older (28) and charges more. At this point, the Bulls would find it difficult to deal LaVine, much less for a player like Lillard.
At the very least, Patrick Williams is a fascinating flier, but at this point, that’s all he would be. Williams, who is still 22 years old, has averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds over the course of his three-year career, but he hasn’t yet proven to be the lockdown defender many anticipated when Chicago selected him fourth overall in 2020. After the season, he will become a restricted free agent, so Portland would need to decide what to do with him quickly. Williams is not a high-end prospect.
Chicago can only offer a 2029 first-round pick in terms of picks because their firsts are locked up through 2027, unless they change the protections for the 2025 first they owe San Antonio.
Overall, this is insufficient to complete the task.