Heat want to trade for Damian Lillard, but there's a catch

Damian Lillard has officially sounded off the NBA alarms. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuilding team, so his days with the Portland Trail Blazers might as well be numbered.

Lillard is one of the highest earners in the league, so working a way around his contract won’t be easy. Moreover, even if he’s a veteran making a lot of money and wants to leave, his asking price should be quite steep.

Regardless of all that, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst claims the Miami Heat will be heavily involved in any potential move for the All-Star guard. So, don’t be shocked if he ends up in South Florida with Jimmy Butler.

Miami Heat Could Make A Run At Damian Lillard

“The team I’m watching is the Miami Heat,” Windhorst said. “The Heat are ready to go to their next star window. This is what they do. The Heat hunts stars. His time would probably match Jimmy Butler in terms of age. They have tradeable things potentially that the Blazers could want. I’m being a little premature but that’s kind of what I see happening.”

Heat May Not Have The Assets

However, the Heat will face plenty of competition for Lillard’s services, not to mention the fact that they might not have enough to offer or make the Blazers even pick up the phone in the negotiations:

“It would have to start with Tyler Herro, once his extension kicks in, you can send him to Portland,” an unnamed NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy. “Then it is a matter of, can they include Kyle Lowry? Duncan Robinson? Portland would have to take back a bad contract to make it work.”

“So then, how much draft capital is Miami willing to give up?” the executive asked. “They owe a pick (2025 first-rounder) to OKC, so they can only give up a couple picks, and they could include [Nikola] Jovic. They’d have to put everything into the now and there’s a chance they’re going to be willing to do that.”

It won’t be easy at all, but Pat Riley sure knows his way in this league, and it’s been a while since he last made a statement move like this. So, keep an eye on the Heat if Lillard actually wants to leave.