Some secrets are poorly kept. Everybody knows. Does that technically even qualify as a secret? Isn’t it more like a fact that was supposed to be a secret? Some NBA teams are asking themselves that question. Their secrets were poorly kept.
Take the situation between the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard. His desire to be traded was never supposed to be a secret. Lillard let it be known in public. Still, his specific desire to land on the Miami Heat was not supposed to be public knowledge.
It is. That doesn’t mean that the Blazers have to send him to the Heat. On the other hand, other teams will be apprehensive about landing a star player with a well-known preferred landing spot. In time, the Blazers may have to bite the bullet and send Lillard to South Beach. if so, this is the best offer we think they could make for him.
The Trade Proposal
Brooklyn Nets Receive: G Tyler Herro, G/F Duncan Robinson
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F/C Ben Simmons, 2025 First-Round Pick (PHX via BKN), 2027 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2029 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2029 First-Round Pick (DAL via BKN)
Miami Heat Receive: G Damian Lillard
On the other hand, trade requests from star players are nothing new. They’re simply more abundant than ever before. In recent years, the Brooklyn Nets learned that lesson more harshly than anyone else.
First, they capitalized on a trade request. James Harden wanted to leave the Houston Rockets. The Nets acquired him. It wasn’t long after that he wanted to leave the Nets. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would follow. The Nets went from rostering three superstars to none in a matter of moments.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets & Miami Heat Updates
Where did that leave them? Well, the Nets could be in worse shape. This team still has a solid, competitive roster. They also have a massive collection of first-round picks. Still, they owe control of their own draft through to 2027 to the Rockets as a consequence of that Harden trade. The Nets have no incentive to lose. Does that alone justify this deal for them?
Why The Brooklyn Nets Do The Deal
It’s debatable. In fairness, the Heat just went on a Finals run without Herro. We can’t conclusively say that he’s a player that can contribute to winning at the highest level. Still, there are a lot of positive conclusions that we can draw about Herro.
Specifically, he’s an extremely dynamic offensive player. Herro can create his own shots in the half court with ease. By contrast, Ben Simmons…cannot. Moving off of his contract is it’s own benefit for Brooklyn. That’s part of why they’re forking over two unprotected firsts here.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets & Miami Heat Updates
One is to acquire Herro, and the other is to get off of Simmons’ deal. All told, we think it’s worth the price. Flipping Simmons for Herro should make them a much more dangerous offensive team next season. Given this team’s win-now imperative, that’s enough to justify this deal. Can Portland justify taking on Simmons?
Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do The Deal
Well, the Blazers do this deal for the draft capital. Simmons is here to make the money work. On the other hand, can we really rule out a comeback for Simmons? He’s 25. He once produced at an All-NBA level. It’s entirely possible that Simmons’ career has a second act that’s yet to be seen.
Call us crazy, but a Simmons/Jerami Grant/Shaedon Sharpe/Anfernee Simons/Scoot Henderson starting lineup sounds interesting. Simmons can transition into mostly finishing pick-and-rolls on the offensive end. On defense, if he can return to form, he’s giving the Blazers one of the best defenders in the NBA. Playing him at the 5 ought to allow Portland to experiment with a lot of different defensive schemes.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets & Miami Heat Updates
Still, this has little to do with Simmons. It’s time for Portland to move on from Lillard. They should get as much draft capital as they can for him. Four unprotected first-round picks ought to do the trick. Should Miami give up two of those picks to land Lillard?
Why The Miami Heat Do The Deal
This slide will be difficult to write – in the sense that it’s too easy. The Heat are acquiring Damian Lillard. What more needs to be said? He’s one of the best offensive players in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Miami has a title window. It also happens to be narrow. This team made the NBA Finals last year, but Jimmy Butler is aging. For that matter, so is Lillard. For Miami, this is about going all-in on a championship push. Any other outcome will be a disappointment if they acquire Lillard.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets & Miami Heat Updates
Isn’t that the situation teams aim to put themselves in? The Heat are already almost good enough to win a title. If they acquire Lillard, they’ll be among a small handful of title favorites. Perhaps that’s why they want to make a deal for Lillard – and it’s no secret, either.
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