Well, it finally happened. After more than a decade of shortcomings, back and forth, and countless NBA trade rumors, Damian Lillard has formally asked out of the Portland Trail Blazers.
This came after the Blazers failed to put together a competitive squad again, using their two first-round picks to land stellar prospects Scoot Henderson and Kris Murray instead.
Moreover, Lillard has made it known that he wants to play for the Miami Heat. With that in mind, Chris Haynes revealed the best offer Pat Riley’s team could make right now.
NBA Rumors: Miami Heat’s Offer Might Not Be Enough For Lillard
“Miami has been waiting for this domino to fall and will quickly engage with Portland in trying to get a deal done, sources say,” Haynes reported. “Heat star Jimmy Butler has relayed to the team that Lillard is his No. 1 target, sources say.“
“The Heat are prepared to offer a package centered around Tyler Herro, with possibly Duncan Robinson and picks, sources say. The Heat would prefer to keep Caleb Martin out of any trade scenarios,” added Haynes.
Blazers Won’t Do Them Any Favors
Needless to say, that offer is far from the best the team could get for a player of Lillard’s caliber. And according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Blazers won’t do Lillard any favors:
“They had prepared for the possibility that a trade request would come from Damian Lillard, but their reaction simply is they’re going to go out into the marketplace and find the best deal they can for Portland,” Woj reported. “And while he would like to play for the Miami Heat, it’s not going to be a concern of the Portland Trail Blazers.”
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One would think that the franchise would look to do right by him after all he’s done for the organization. Then again, this is a business, and he doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so it’s only normal that the franchise will do what’s best for them.
