Potential Damian Lillard trade to Miami takes shape

The NBA Draft has come and gone, and the Portland Trail Blazers failed to secure any significant upgrades that would have been considered championship-caliber moves for their star guard, Damian Lillard.

Even after the first wave of NBA free agency and Lillard’s formal trade request, he still remains with the Trail Blazers. Surprisingly, no satisfactory deal for Lillard has emerged, leaving the Miami Heat in a favorable position to potentially acquire him at a minimal cost, thanks to their patient approach.

According to updates from reputable sources like Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Heat will not bid against themselves for Lillard. Charania outlined a possible package that Miami could offer, including 3-4 first-round picks, pick swaps, second-round picks, Tyler Herro, expiring contracts, and young players. However, the specific details of the deal are still uncertain.

The Heat’s offer may consist of the 2024 first-round pick, along with 2027 and 2029 picks, as they cannot trade their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks due to previous obligations. They could also offer pick swaps in 2026, 2028, and 2030. However, Miami has limited second-round picks available for trade, with only the Lakers’ 2026 pick and a 2027 pick to offer.

The Trail Blazers have little interest in Tyler Herro, so a deal involving him as the centerpiece would likely require the involvement of a third team that can offer a quality center or big wing. Teams like the Nets and Jazz have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Herro, but no significant progress has been made with either team yet.

While expiring contracts can be appealing, the Heat only have one in Kyle Lowry, and the Trail Blazers are not interested in him. However, they might consider taking on Lowry’s contract and waiving him if the Heat agree to take back the contract of center Jusuf Nurkic, though Miami has not shown willingness to do so at this point.

Miami could sweeten the deal by including two promising young players, 2023 first-round pick Jaime Jaquez and 2022 first-rounder Nikola Jovic. There is also a possibility of Caleb Martin being included, although the Heat need to maintain some depth in their roster in case the Lillard deal goes through.