NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring four teams that could seemingly steal Damian Lillard away from the Miami Heat.
After a couple of months of anticipation, Damian Lillard finally requested a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers. After weeks of playing the “will he or won’t he,” Lillard finally made his decision and, from all accounts, the expectation is that the Blazers are going to honor his request.
But it wasn’t just that Lillard finally requested a trade. Lillard didn’t just do that, but he informed the Blazers that he wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. Forget a shortlist of teams that Lillard was open to; he knows where he wants to play and Portland knows this.
That said, it’s one thing to have a desired landing spot and a completely different thing to have the Blazers want to play ball with Lillard in this suddenly demanding request.
How will the Portland Trail Blazers react to Damian Lillard’s direct request?
In a statement released by Blazers general manager Joe Cronin, the team is going to pursue what’s best for the team. That leaves open the possibility of the Blazers entertaining trade offers that are not from the Heat.
The big question is whether Cronin was genuine or if this is a negotiating ploy that he’s trying to play with Lillard and the Heat. If it is something that Portland would be open to (and Lillard would play along to a certain extent), let’s explore four teams (that would theoretically be interested in Lillard) that could easily beat the Heat’s trade offer for Lillard.
Boston Celtics
Look, if the Portland Trail Blazers are willing to make this an all-out bidding war for Damian Lillard, there’s no question that the Boston Celtics should make a call to gauge the possibility of making such a move. And the Celtics have one potential trade piece that would trump anything that the Miami Heat, or any other team for that matter, could offer – Jaylen Brown.
Brown is eligible for a super-max extension but hasn’t signed it yet – you’d imagine that the Celtics have likely already offered it. If Boston has any trepidation about that potential contract extension, perhaps they’d be open to a Brown (and picks) package in exchange for Lillard.
A Lillard addition would be an intriguing option for the Celtics but I’m not sure how willing they’d be able to throw the towel in on the JB-Tatum build. But if the Celtics were open to it, it’s certainly something that Portland would have to be open to as well.
Again, if this does end up a bidding war, you have to assume that the Celtics will, at the very least, be in the conversation for Lillard.
Brooklyn Nets
Considering that the Brooklyn Nets were originally named as a potential landing spot when it was first rumored that Damian Lillard possibly wanted out, I think it would be quite dubious to completely disregard the Nets’ chances of sneaking into the Lillard sweepstakes. If the Portland Trail Blazers open up the bidding war to teams not named the Miami Heat, the Nets would probably be close to the top of the list.
The Nets have exactly what the Blazers would be looking for in an ideal return for Lillard. They have intriguing young players that could help the team’s rebuild and practically an unlimited amount of future first-round draft picks that they could send in a package. If they can get Lillard to soften his reported stance on the Heat or nothing, you can easily see how the Nets could theoretically pry Lillard away from Miami.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that would happen. I suppose ultimately it may come down to this – does Lillard truly believe that a trio of Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Lillard is good enough to compete for an NBA Championship? It may not be as clear as you believe it to be. And it may not beat Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in Lillard’s head.
Toronto Raptors
In a completely objective world, the Toronto Raptors would easily be able to assemble an extremely impressive trade package for Damian Lillard. If that was something that Lillard would be open to and Toronto would be all-in, it’s easy to see how it could come to fruition. And with the assets that the Raptors have in their arsenal, they would be able to comfortably beat out anything the Miami Heat could theoretically offer.
Building a package centered around Scottie Barnes and perhaps OG Anunoby, there are few other teams in the league that could rival that level of offer. Barnes may end up being a star in this league and at just 21 years old, he’d be an excellent addition for the Blazers. As would Anunoby who is also just 25 years old, and looking for a bigger role at this point in his career. If they wanted, the Raptors could even staple a couple of first-round picks to make the offer unpenetrable.
Of course, at least for now, this doesn’t seem like a likely scenario. There’s no guarantee Lillard would want to play in Toronto and without that, there’s no reason for the Raptors to enter this sweepstakes, or even try to.
San Antonio Spurs
Shortly after Damian Lillard asked the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that while Miami is likely Damian Lillard’s preferred destination he had “deep respect” for the San Antonio Spurs. That sparked an entirely different narrative that suggested Lillard could be open to playing with head coach Gregg Popovich and Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
On the surface, it may seem a bit odd but a Lillard-Wemby duo would be quite intriguing. Taking that thought a step further; why would it make even more sense? Because the Spurs are another team that has exactly what the Blazers would be looking for in a potential return. San Antonio has young talent that extends beyond Wemby and a multitude of future first-round picks that they could cobble together to create an appealing offer to the Blazers.
Then reality sets in. While I don’t doubt that, in theory, Lillard would be open to playing with Popovich and Wemby, that’s not happening. Lillard is not going through all this trouble of leaving the Blazers to play with a team that is not even close to competing for a championship.
Will Lillard be traded to the Heat? It’s starting to feel that way. However, there are teams that could theoretically beat out Miami’s best potential offer. The next couple of days should be fun and could get even more interesting if Lillard softens his Miami-or-bust trade request stance.