Damian Lillard has the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets atop his preferred list of NBA teams if he were to be traded by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The seven-time All-Star has a close relationship with Heat center Bam Adebayo and Nets small forward Mikal Bridges.
One NBA scout recently told NBA Analysis Network that Lillard “would like to play” with Bridges. Dame isn’t expected to request a trade from the Blazers, but it’s certainly eye-popping that he’s talking about playing for other teams so openly.
“There are many directions the Blazers can go this summer,” the scout said. “A lot will depend on what Dame wants to do. That’s hard to tell right now since it’s so early. If you bank on every little rumbling, you’ll have a lot of conflicting info by the time the Combine even starts. One player I know he really would like to play with is Mikal Bridges. That doesn’t mean he has to do it in Brooklyn, though. That’s a trade target I’d keep an eye on if Portland tries to add a piece around Dame.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets & Miami Heat Updates
Lillard has said multiple times that he wants to spend his entire career with the Blazers. Portland has the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and general manager Joe Cronin told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports that he wants to maximize Lillard’s timeline.
“We’re a team that’s trying to win and trying to maximize Damian’s timeline. This was an important night for us,” Cronin told Yahoo Sports. “Front offices around the league think highly of this draft, so you would think that a lot of teams that were sitting (on stage) tonight will be getting a lot of calls from teams trying to move up and maneuver.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets & Miami Heat Updates
The Blazers won only 33 games this season. They have missed the playoffs two years in a row after making the postseason eight consecutive years.
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