NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Bold, creative deals to help Heat land Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
Damian Lillard (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
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The OKC Thunder look to make a splash

Would it be that insane if the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to jump in on this deal with the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers? They’re a team that appears to be on the cusp of something special in the Western Conference and adding one more talented veteran could very well be the difference in the Thunder being a fringe NBA Play-In Tournament contender vs. being a legit threat to finish as one of the top 6 seeds in the conference.

Maybe there’s a chance that Tyler Herro could be very valuable to the young Thunder. Herro is only 23 years old but pretty much has more playoff experience than nearly every player on OKC’s roster, combined. Herro is not foreign to the big moment and actually rises to the occasion.

In this deal, the Thunder would accept Herro and give them back their 2025 first-round pick, which would unlock the team’s ability to send four first-round picks and three pick swaps to Portland. The Heat would still send two second-round picks to OKC’s way in additional compensation.

Portland would still get Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, and every trade-eligible first-round pick that the Heat has.