Damian Lillard wants out of Portland, but the Blazers, understandably, don’t want to part with their star player for less than maximum value.
The path forward might be involving multiple teams in a deal.
After some murmurs about Lillard possibly wanting a trade, he made it clear over the weekend, requesting a move from Portland – the only team he’s played for in his 11-year career. Lillard reportedly wants to land in Miami, where he could help be the piece to help Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Co. over the championship hump.
A trade between Miami and Portland has its hurdles. The Heat don’t have a ton of enticing trade assets, which could turn the Blazers off, and making a move for Lillard could cut significantly into Miami’s depth.
Former NBA center and league insider Brian Scalabrine told “Shan & RJ” he thinks Lillard ends up in Miami by way of a multi-team trade.
“Yeah, he does (end up there), but I don’t think it’s just going to be a straight trade,” Scalabrine said. “I think Brooklyn is going to get involved, I could see Philly getting involved, I could see Utah getting involved – like Danny (Ainge) has probably had an obsession with Ben Simmons for a while. I have a feeling this trade is going to kick off a lot of things.
“I think if I’m Joe Cronin, Miami doesn’t have enough for me. I want players and draft capital … I think Joe Cronin is really playing this the right way. You want (Lillard) to go to Miami, but you want to make sure you get as many teams as possible in. …
“There’s a lot of ways that you can try to improve your roster. I don’t think it’s Tyler Herro for Damian Lillard, I think it’s way more complex than that, but I do think he ends up in Miami.”
If the Heat can get Lillard and the Blazers can get a haul while sending him out of the conference, that would be ideal for both parties. They just might need to get a few others involved in order to see the idea through.
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