Kofi Inkoom
Damian Lillard desires to be traded to the Miami Heat, and the offer from Miami to Portland has been disclosed. The timing of the trade remains uncertain, and it’s not guaranteed to occur during this NBA offseason.
Damian Lillard and his agent have consistently expressed his intention to team up with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the Miami Heat since he requested the trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Dame and Bam, looking forward to play together in Miami.
The situation has reached a stalemate, leading the NBA to intervene and caution Lillard about his approach to requesting a trade. Despite being in August, there hasn’t been any advancement regarding Lillard’s destination.
However, the prevailing sentiment in the league is that he will eventually join the Miami Heat. The Trail Blazers are aiming for substantial returns due to Lillard’s elite status, but the Heat are cautious about giving up too much, especially since they’re aware that no other team is likely to step in due to Lillard’s preference. As a result, trade negotiations have come to a halt.
Shams’ Report
As of Tuesday, Shams Charania from The Athletic provided an update on the Lillard situation, stating that there hasn’t been any progress on a trade agreement.
Nevertheless, he disclosed that the Miami Heat have been ready to propose a trade package to the Portland Trail Blazers. The package would include Tyler Herro, expiring contracts, a young player like Nikola Jovic, and multiple draft picks.
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In this scenario, Herro would be transferred to a third team in exchange for tradeable assets. Miami would also put forth three to four first-round draft picks to acquire the All-NBA point guard from Portland.
Regarding the potential trade structure, the primary value for the Trail Blazers in a deal with the Heat would come from future first-round draft picks, which might commence around 2027. Since Herro would be redirected to another team, Portland could potentially absorb expiring contracts from that team or even acquire experienced point guard Kyle Lowry from Miami.
Matching Lillard’s salary of $45.6 million for the 2023-24 season isn’t straightforward, but the Heat do possess the capacity to manage it, particularly with Herro and Lowry expected to earn a combined $56.6 million in the upcoming season.
As NBA training camps are scheduled to commence in roughly seven weeks, there remains ample time for the two parties to finalize a trade. However, both teams have shown reluctance to make concessions, resulting in the uncertainty surrounding Lillard’s immediate future as the 2023-24 season approaches.