Damian Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, told NBA insider Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that Lillard “wants to play” for the Miami Heat.
Lillard has requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. Goodwin has been telling non-Heat teams to not trade for his client.
Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, so the Blazers can trade him anywhere, which is why Goodwin has been telling teams not to trade for his client since Lillard wouldn’t be happy if he’s not playing for the Heat.
Teams don’t want to trade for unhappy stars since the player likely wouldn’t be fully engaged with them.
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists this past season for the Blazers. The Heat, who have reached two NBA Finals since Jimmy Butler came to Miami in 2019, believe they can win it all next season with Lillard in the fold next to Butler and Bam Adebayo.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Miami Heat Updates
The Heat are 0-2 in the NBA Finals in the Butler-Adebayo era, which started in 2019-20. The team is missing a scorer and playmaker like Lillard, who has career averages of 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Butler and Adebayo have told Pat Riley that they want Lillard on the Heat, but the Blazers are going to take their time with Lillard’s trade request since they want to get the best return possible.
The expectation around Lillard is that his insistence on Miami will discourage other teams from offering their best assets to try to acquire him from Portland. Things could get messy if the Blazers decide to trade the future Hall of Famer to another team.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Miami Heat Updates
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Lillard expressed his frustration with the Blazers in recent years for failing to construct a roster capable of making a title push. The Weber State product felt the time was now to request a trade after coming off a career year.
Lillard was upset the Blazers didn’t trade the third overall pick in the 2023 draft for a star player. Portland drafted Scoot Henderson, who plays the same position as Lillard, with the third pick.
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