Damian Lillard has been linked with the Miami Heat for months, but it’s unclear whether the trade will ultimately come to fruition. This would be a match made in heaven, but the Portland Trail Blazers aren’t making things easy.
At 33, Dame has realized his best shot at winning an elusive NBA championship is outside Oregon. Miami, meanwhile, seems to be the perfect place where he can challenge for a coveted ring.
If the Heat were able to make the NBA Finals last season, Lillard could be the missing piece to win the prize next time. Though getting him out of Portland doesn’t seem easy, at least it looks like the Heat don’t have too many competitors.
Rumor: Heat are the only team really interested in Lillard
(Via Heat Nation)
“I don’t think anyone likes the idea of Dame coming in and forcing the Blazers’ hand like this, forcing them to take a deal from a team that does not have the assets,” one NBA front-office executive told Sean Deveney of Forbes. “That’s a bad precedent, and it is one we are seeing too much of. But if Dame had not said, ‘Miami or nothing,’ where else was Portland really going to go for a deal? Maybe Brooklyn? But where else? There’s not that many teams that are going to give you a bunch of players and picks for a 33-year-old who can’t stay healthy and has a giant contract sitting there.
“Of course, owners don’t want players picking their trade destination and shutting out the other 28 teams,” said the same executive. “But it was not anything Dame said or Aaron Goodwin said that shut down the market. That stuff didn’t help. But there weren’t teams lined up for him even before that.”
What’s Damian Lillard’s contract in Portland?
Last year, Damian Lillard signed a two-year contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers through the 2025–26 season with a player option for 2026–27.
see also
Trading for Damian Lillard could prevent Heat from landing another star
When was the last time Lillard made the playoffs with the Blazers?
Damian Lillard hasn’t made the playoffs with the Portland Trail Blazers since the 2020-21 season.
