Ever since they lost to Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat knew they would need another superstar to win a championship. That’s why Damian Lillard has been their priority target this offseason.
At 33, Dame is also craving for an elusive ring, which explains his decision to request a trade out of the Portland Trail Blazers. The guard was loyal to the team since 2012, but now he finally feels that it’s time to move on.
Lillard has reportedly made it clear he only wants to be traded to Miami, but the Blazers haven’t made things easy so far. After months of negotiating, it looks like the Heat are daring Portland to get a better offer elsewhere.
Rumor: Heat challenge Blazers to find a better offer for Lillard
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Miami Heat are challenging the Portland Trail Blazers to find a better compensation for Damian Lillard than what they have already offered.
“They want Damian Lillard. They just want him for as little as they’re going to have to give up. They’re essentially daring Portland to go out into the marketplace — which Portland is doing — and see if they can find better,” Woj said.
Will another team trade for Lillard?
Since Lillard let everyone know he only wants to play for Miami, it’s hard to believe another team will step in. His agent even warned other NBA franchises that trading for his client would be “trading for an unhappy player.”
That said, Dame has three guaranteed years left on his current contract, which is a lot of time to refuse to play. Besides, at 33, he cannot spend so much time on the sidelines.
