The Damian Lillard trade situation will be resolved. Eventually.
There has been little to no movement on a Lillard trade since Summer League ended, league sources told NBC Sports (which echoes what Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN recently reported). With no pressure on the sides until training camp opens and many league executives heading out on vacation around this time, this is the time in the NBA calendar when little gets done — especially major moves.
But the Heat are putting together another trade offer, reports Shams Charania of The Atheltic.
On @TheRally, the latest surrounding Damian Lillard and the potential offer the Miami Heat have been preparing with 3-to-4 first-round picks: pic.twitter.com/GjyaYOOEbF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 31, 2023
This is not far off the best offer Miami could put on the table if they involve a third team, but it’s more than has been offered to this point. If no other team enters the bidding — and to this point, no other team has been serious about a Lillard trade — there is no reason for Miami to bid against itself, it can wait out Portland and call their bluff, seeing if they are willing to deal with the circus that would be bringing Damian Lillard to camp. (Even if Lillard is very professional at camp, it would be a PR disaster for a team looking to turn the page to the Scoot Henderson era.)
The buzz out of Miami has been that Portland hasn’t seriously engaged with them — which is what the Blazers should do at this point if they don’t love the Heat’s offer. Portland wants a bidding war because that is best for it. Miami reportedly made an offer of three first-round picks (something it can do if it makes a side deal with Oklahoma City to adjust a pick it owes them), former Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, a young player (Nikola Jovik or Jaime Jaquez Jr.), and maybe another player just to make the salaries match. Portland wants more, including another first-round pick plus second-rounders and pick swaps, and it doesn’t want Herro (it has a similar player they like better in Anfernee Simons). That’s where the third team comes in.
Miami is being patient. While other teams could make a better offer in theory, none are actually stepping forward. Part of that is that Lillard is owed $58.5 million in 2025-26 and then $63.2 million in 2026-27 (when he is 36) — other teams are balking on paying that much that far into the future. While the NBA sent out a memo to all 30 teams saying if they trade for Lillard he will fulfill his contract and play for them to the best of his abilities, that’s not what was keeping teams away. Oklahoma City isn’t on taking the ball out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands and their timeline is different. Same with San Antonio’s timeline around Victor Wembanyama. New Orleans wants to see what it has if its roster stays healthy, and they don’t think reuniting CJ McCollum and Lillard is the answer (and Portland doesn’t want McCollum back). The list goes on, everyone’s favorite Trade Machine offers for Lillard don’t fly in the real world.
The Heat would be open to a three-team deal, but they have no motivation to increase their current offer.
When we get to September and things start to ramp up before the start of October training camps, there may be fire around a Lillard trade — maybe even one that looks close to what Sharania reported. Right now, there is little traction and far more smoke than fire, and it likely stays that way for a while.
