It has been over a month since Damian Lillard requested to be traded to the Miami Heat. The current Portland Trail Blazers point guard requested a trade on July 1, according to The Athletic, but since that time, there has been little movement.
Rumors surfaced that Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, had been calling teams and informing them his client wouldn’t be interested in playing for any organization other than the Heat. The league responded by sending a memo to all 30 NBA teams regarding the issue complete with a warning to Lillard and Goodwin not to engage in any such behavior in the future.
When all is said and done, though, Lillard still wants to play in Miami, a perennial contender who made it all the way to the NBA finals this year. With this in mind, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey put together a four-team trade proposal that “finally gets Dame to Miami.”
News: Regarding report about message to non Heat teams, Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, tells me: “I do what I should for my client. Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me. It’s a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.”
Heat Will Have to Give Up a Ton for Dame
Bailey’s trade proposal is a mammoth one involving multiple superstars including Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls. While Harden has also requested a trade, LaVine has not, and feels like the most unlikely player listed. Here’s a look at Bailey’s full trade proposal:
- Portland Trail Blazers would receive: James Harden, Kyle Lowry, Jaime Jacquez, Nikola Jović, a 2028 first-round pick from Miami, a 2030 first-round pick from Miami and a 2030 second-round pick from Chicago
- Miami Heat would receive: Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkić, a 2029 second-round pick from Philadelphia and a 2028 second-round pick from Chicago
- Philadelphia 76ers would receive: Zach LaVine, Tyler Herro and a 2029 second-round pick from Portland
- Chicago Bulls would receive: Tobias Harris, Caleb Martin, Keon Johnson, a 2029 first-round pick (swap with the 76ers) and a 2030 first-round pick from Philadelphia
In addition to 23-year-old sharpshooter Tyler Herro, veteran Kyle Lowry and forward Caleb Martin, the Heat would be giving up multiple first-round draft picks along with recent first round selections Jaime Jacquez and Nikola Jović in this scenario. Miami would also be adding an intriguing big in Jusuf Nurkić, who started 52 games and averaged 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Blazers last season.
“The Heat aren’t going to get him without a major sacrifice,” Bailey wrote about Lillard. “This deal mostly clears the roster of interesting young talent and hampers their ability to eventually rebuild through the draft or make future trades that would require picks.”
Bailey has a point. There has likely been no movement thus far because Portland has not received an offer it deems suitable enough for Dame’s services.
Heat Still Top Contender to Land Dame, Insider Says
Brian Windhorst: “As I look across the league and have conversations with executives and agents, I can’t identify another team that is seriously making an offer for Damian Lillard at this point. My belief is that the Heat can’t either.”
Lillard is coming off a season in which he finished in the top 10 in two of the league’s top three statistical categories. His 32.2 points ranked third in the NBA, while his 7.3 assists per game ranked 10th (stats via Basketball Reference). Dame also hauled in 4.8 rebounds in 36.3 minutes of action (58 games), so despite being 33, he is still one of the most productive players in the league.
Insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on August 1 that while Miami hasn’t yet made an offer Portland has wanted, few — if any — other teams seem to be in competition for Dame’s services.
“While people can look at what the Heat’s offer might be and scoff at it, if their offer is the only one on the table, it’s the best one on the table,” Windhorst said, via Sports Illustrated. “And the fact that Portland isn’t going forward with anything is a verification of that.”
As it stands, if Miami is serious about bringing Dame to South Beach, the team will have to up the ante significantly.
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Huge 4-Team Trade Proposal ‘Finally’ Gets Damian Lillard to Heat