During the introductory press conference for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Thursday, Miami Heat president Pat Riley turned heads when he suggested that his franchise was not done making earth-shattering moves this offseason.
“We landed the plane. There’s another one we have to land,” said the Hall of Famer, sending shockwaves across the NBA community.
While many inferred that Riley was referring to LeBron James — who is reportedly considering a return to Miami as a free agent — others believe the Heat are angling towards landing another superstar player via trade to pair with Antetokounmpo.
Amid the speculation, a Miami Heat trade idea is doing the rounds which is feasible under the CBA’s guidelines due to the player’s budget-value contract.
Miami Heat Trade Idea for Damian Lillard
Since Lillard is owed only $13.4M next season, the Heat have a realistic pathway to land the nine-time All-Star despite their limited draft assets.
The proposed framework can be seen below:
Heat would receive: Damian Lillard
Trail Blazers would receive: Nikola Jovic, 2032 first-round pick swap
Why the Heat Do It
Davion Mitchell is an excellent defensive-minded guard, but his offensive production leaves a lot to be desired and isn’t ideal to pair with a non-shooter like Antetokounmpo.
Although the Antetokounmpo-Lillard pairing didn’t produce great results in Milwaukee, the two stars developed a close bond and could thrive under a new coach and a system. Furthermore, Lillard had admittedly sought a trade to Miami in 2023 but was shipped off to the Bucks by the Blazers front office. As such, “Dame Dolla” could finally get his wish of playing in South Beach with his good friend Bam Adebayo.
A Big 3 of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Adebayo, with LeBron James possibly joining them, would surely make the Heat the biggest threat to the New York Knicks.
Why the Trail Blazers Do It
Lillard made an emotional return to Portland last year after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, but sat out the entire season recovering from an ACL injury.
This season, Lillard must be motivated to help the Blazers take another step after they made the playoffs for the first time in four years. However, the future Hall of Famer is in a precarious position due to Portland’s loaded backcourt.
After trading for Ja Morant, the Blazers’ overcrowded backcourt also includes Lillard, Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday. Furthermore, All-Star Deni Avdija and rising star Shaedon Sharpe both proved last season that they thrive when initiating the offense more so than being set up by a floor general. The backcourt logjam clearly may disrupt their rhythm, leaving the Blazers with no choice but to give up one of Lillard or Holiday.
Miami Heat Proposed to Pair Giannis With 9-Time All-Star in Blockbuster Trade