Getty Damian Lillard warms up prior to a bout between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat.
Damian Lillard reignited the discussion about his future with the Portland Trail Blazers a little over a week ago by declaring that he’s not really interested in rebuilding. It’s a statement that becomes problematic when your team is 10-plus games under .500 with the regular season finale fast approaching.
And while a veritable bonanza of teams will undoubtedly be inquiring about his availability in the wake of those remarks, the Miami Heat are one franchise that already had designs on netting another big star to boost their championship potential.
“The Heat promised a bold move last summer, but came up empty-handed…” wrote Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney on Wednesday. “They will be in better position for a bold move this summer, and it would be surprising if they did not come up with a major deal this time around.”
Whether Lillard can be the centerpiece to that major deal remains to be seen. However, one Eastern Conference executive is of the opinion that Heat president Pat Riley — who’s known for making splashy acquisitions — could kick the tires on a Dame trade.
NBA Exec Breaks Down Potential Trade Bringing Damian Lillard to the Heat
In examining the nuts and bolts of a Heat-Blazers pact centered around Lillard — who would turn the Jimmy Butler-Bam Adebayo tandem into a legitimate Big 3 — the executive namechecked Miami’s sole blue-chip piece under the age of 25 as the jumping-off point for negotiations.
“It would have to start with Tyler Herro, once his extension kicks in, you can send him to Portland. Then it is a matter of, can they include Kyle Lowry? Duncan Robinson? Portland would have to take back a bad contract to make it work,” the executive told Deveney.
Miami parting with Herro would almost certainly be as tough for the team as it would be for its fans. And that’s not the only sacrifice that would have to be made in order to initiate Dame Time in South Beach.
“So then, how much draft capital is Miami willing to give up? They owe a pick (2025 first-rounder) to OKC, so they can only give up a couple picks, and they could include [Nikola] Jovic. They’d have to put everything into the now and there’s a chance they’re going to be willing to do that.”
For those not keeping score, that makes the big trade something like this:
- Portland Trail Blazers receive G Tyler Herro, F Duncan Robinson, F/C Nikola Jovic and two future first-round picks.
- Miami Heat receive G Damian Lillard
As we all know, though, NBA trades require at least two willing parties, and Riley ultimately may not have the draft capital to sway his counterpart in Portland. And even if the two sides could make something happen, the Dame play wouldn’t come without its risks.
Tyler Herro Has Shown Himself to Be a Top-Tier Scorer
Given that he’s an almost-33-year-old with some concerning recent injuries and an otherworldly cap number, there’s a nonzero chance that going all-in on Lillard as the ultimate answer to all that ails the Heat goes horribly awry and sets the franchise back.
Especially when one considers what Herro has become this season.
Before landing his four-year, $130 million extension, there were legitimate questions being asked about whether Herro would be able to maintain his level as a full-time starter. Flash forward to now and the jury has clearly reached its verdict. Through 62 appearances, Herro is averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists while posting a career-best effective field-goal percentage of 53.4.
Moreover, he’s become at least serviceable on the defensive end, i.e. the one area where some felt he would make Miami rue the day they paid him.