NBA Trade Rumors: Heat could easily meet Blazers’ asking price for Damian Lillard

Does this mean the Miami Heat is a lock to acquire Damian Lillard?

Even though there is a conceivable path toward the Miami Heat getting the assets that the Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly asking for in a potential deal, I don’t believe this means they’re a lock to land Damian Lillard. At the same time, it should still bode well for their chances of pulling off the feat.

Even though the Heat could offer a fair deal for Lillard, the Blazers still have to right to trade him to wherever they want. There’s nothing that forces Portland to trade Lillard to the place where he wants to be traded. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause and, from all indications, it seems as if the relationship between Lillard and the team has begun to deteriorate. Could it be salvaged, sure. But at this point, with the steps that Lillard and his camp have taken, that would be surprising.

The good news for Lillard is that there’s hope the Heat could get this done. But there’s no guarantee that it will. At this point, though, Lillard and his camp have to be willing to settle for hope.