The Miami Heat felt they never had a legitimate opportunity to negotiate a Damian Lillard trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
Lillard requested a trade from the Blazers to the Heat on July 1, and Lillard’s agent — Aaron Goodwin — relayed to teams that Lillard would not be content if Portland traded him to a team other than Miami.
The Blazers felt they were being pressured into what they deemed to be an unfavorable starting point in negotiations. The NBA stepped in and warned Goodwin that Lillard could be “subject to discipline” if Lillard’s camp continued to disrupt quality offers Portland could field.
It appears based on Haynes’ report that the Blazers never wanted to trade Lillard to the Heat. Portland ceased all communication with Lillard and Goodwin in early September. The Blazers’ rationale for keeping them in the dark was to prevent Goodwin from getting involved in potential deals behind the scenes. For approximately three weeks, calls and texts to Portland from Lillard and Goodwin went unanswered.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers Updates
The Blazers wound up trading Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat believe they could have included a third team and netted the Blazers up to three first-round picks with the inclusion of Tyler Herro. However, Portland wasn’t interested in doing business with Miami.
“How this summer played out behind the scenes definitely left a sour taste in my mouth,” Lillard told Haynes. “But it doesn’t change the amazing experiences I’ve had with the Trail Blazers and this city. I’ll always cherish this place. This is my home. I’ll always live here regardless.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers Updates
The Heat will try to trade for Jrue Holiday, who was sent to the Blazers by the Bucks in the Lillard deal. It will be fascinating to see if Portland even takes any calls from Miami.
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