Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is not inclined to expand his list of preferred destinations beyond the Miami Heat, according to NBA insider Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Lillard has demanded that the Blazers trade him to the Heat. However, Portland and Miami are nowhere near close to making a deal.
“With the Portland Trail Blazers feeling no urgency to complete a Damian Lillard trade — and their executives on vacation — there doesn’t appear to be anything imminent in the Heat’s pursuit of a trade for the seven-time All-Star guard,” Jackson wrote. “Lillard is not inclined to expand his list of preferred destinations beyond Miami, according to someone with knowledge of the situation.”
The Blazers used Summer League in Las Vegas to get a fuller understanding of the trade market for Lillard, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Portland general manager Joe Cronin told reporters in Vegas that he’s willing to wait months to trade Lillard since he wants to get the best package possible.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Miami Heat & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
The Heat are the only team Lillard wants to get traded to. The superstar has no interest in playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets. The Blazers, though, have not been impressed by the Heat’s trade package for Lillard, so it appears a third team will need to get involved for Lillard to land in Miami next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season for the Blazers. The Heat, who have reached two NBA Finals since Butler came to Miami in 2019, believe they can win it all next season with Lillard in the fold next to Butler and Adebayo.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Miami Heat & Portland Trail Blazers 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 has told Hall of Famer Pat Riley that he wants Lillard on the Heat.
Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been advising non-Heat teams to not trade for his client. Since Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, the Blazers can trade the Weber State product anywhere.
However, 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.
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