Damian Lillard’s time with the Portland Trail Blazers is coming to an end. He has officially requested to be traded, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. He seeks to be dealt to the Miami Heat and the Blazers are expected to facilitate his request.
The Heat came as close as it gets to pulling off an improbable championship run despite having to earn a playoff spot using the play-in tournament. As the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, they took down the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, then managed to get through the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers before being taken down by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
There continued to be a glaring need for the Heat to add a more dynamic perimeter star to complement Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Lillard, who averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists this past season, while shooting 46.3% from the field, 37.1% from beyond the arc and 91.4% from the free-throw line, certainly checks all of the necessary boxes.
It remains to be seen what a specific trade package could look like to send Lillard to the Heat. It has been reported that Portland is “lukewarm” on taking back Tyler Herro in a potential trade with Miami. However, the franchise is expected to accommodate his request.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Miami Heat Updates
Lillard has long held “serious interest” in being traded to Miami but wanted to see how the Trail Blazers would handle the NBA Draft and free agency. With Portland using the 3rd overall pick to select Scoot Henderson and not adding a difference-making veteran, Lillard clearly felt compelled to move on.
The Heat have stayed patient this offseason waiting for Lillard to request a trade from the Trail Blazers, as first reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. With options like Bradley Beal or Kyrie Irving to name a few, Miami felt it was best to hold out for its top target being Lillard with “genuine” belief in the outcome coming to fruition.
“Damian Lillard’s decision to give the Portland Trail Blazers more time to improve their roster hasn’t dissuaded the Heat,” Jackson wrote. “According to multiple sources, the Heat has decided to wait patiently for Lillard to make a decision because they view him as a player worth waiting for.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Miami Heat Updates
Lillard recently sparked trade rumors with an Instagram Live stream featuring the song “Miami” by Will Smith playing in the background. Another major hint he dropped was highlighting how much he would enjoy playing with Adebayo and mentioning the Heat among a list of teams he would be willing to play for if Portland opted to trade him.
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