NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat may be a favorite for Damian Lillard?

NBA Trade Rumors: There’s reason to believe that the Miami Heat will be a real threat to acquire Damian Lillard. 

I think it’s safe to say that the Miami Heat has been one of the most surprising stories in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Even more so than the Los Angeles Lakers, the Heat has managed to defy the odds to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NBA Playoff history.

Nevertheless, short of the Heat making a run to the NBA Finals, which seems highly unlikely even if after beating the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, this is a team that will be heading into the offseason with the goal of finding another star player to place next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

It remains to be seen what the trade market will look like during the offseason but if there is one player that nearly every team in search of a star will be watching this summer, it’ll be Damian Lillard.

He hasn’t technically requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, but he could very well be the next big name that is moved. And that could come this offseason. According to a recent report, the Heat is expected to be one of the potential landing spots for Lillard if he does end up being available this offseason.

That’s not exactly surprising considering how aggressive the Heat generally is when it comes to star players on the open market. Taking it a step further, I wonder if the Heat would be one of the favorites to land Lillard. And there are a few reasons why.

Why the Miami Heat should be considered a favorite to land Damian Lillard

First, you’d have to assume that Lillard is going to dictate where he’s moved. If it gets to that point, Lillard will probably give the Blazers a list of teams he’d be open to. And Portland likely does the right thing by Lillard.

Looking at the landscape of the Eastern Conference, where Portland would rather trade him, it’s tough to find many teams that would make more sense than the Heat. And it’s easy to predict that the Heat would be on Lillard’s theoretical “preferred list” of teams where he’d want to be traded to.

Second, looking at the teams in the East that would be in the market for Lillard, the Heat is in a good place. They don’t have the most assets but in the end, Lillard’s trade market may not even be driven by that.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics aren’t likely to be interested in Lillard. The Philadelphia 76ers could be but have some of their own things to figure out with James Harden. Maybe they’d be open to trading Tyrese Maxey and picks for him?

The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks just acquired Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson respectively; it would be surprising if either team moved on from them. Brooklyn has some assets but I don’t believe Lillard would want to play there with just Mikal Bridges as a foundational piece.

The Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, or Detroit Pistons won’t make the cut either. The Toronto Raptors, I suppose they’re always a threat with Masai Ujiri running things.

That means the Raptors, Sixers, and Heat might be the three most realistic and best possible landing spots for Lillard if he is traded this offseason. It could come down to whether Lillard wants to play with Pascal Siakam, Joel Embiid, or Jimmy and Bam.

If Lillard does end up requesting a trade this offseason, it’s hard not to view the Heat as one of the early favorites. The big question is whether or not they’ll have a good enough package to make a competitive offer.