NBA Trade Rumors: There’s an expectation that trade talks between the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers will pick up in the coming weeks.
A Damian Lillard trade to the Miami Heat is not imminent but there is at least some renewed hope that perhaps something could be worked out in the next few weeks. According to a recent report, there’s an expectation that trade talks between the Heat and Portland Trail Blazers centered around Lillard could pick up in the coming weeks.
Both the Heat and Blazers front offices have been on vacation and perhaps once they return, there could be the framework to a possible serious discussion about a trade for Lillard.
Of course, even if both sides were to seriously sit down and have a real discussion on a possible trade, there are still plenty of hurdles that would have to be cleared to agree to a deal.
How much in a hurry are the Portland Trail Blazers to trade Damian Lillard?
For one, there’s no indication that the Blazers would willingly accept the Heat’s offer even if it does include what they’ve been asking for (3-4 first-round draft picks and two young players). Portland could still elect to play the waiting game and sit on the offer in hopes that another team will eventually jump into the Lillard sweepstakes to beat Miami’s package.
As unlikely as that may seem, the Blazers could very well elect to go down that route. Lillard is under contract for the foreseeable future and with still two and a half months away from the start of the regular season, Portland does have time.
The Heat, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly have that much wiggle room. They still need to fill out their roster and figure out what they’re going to do around Lillard. And if they don’t land Lillard, there are still moves to be done. Not to mention some housekeeping to keep the distractions at a minimum.
There’s no question that at this point, the Heat are much more desperate to get a deal done than the Blazers. The question is, will that matter if the two sides to end up negotiating in the foreseeable future?
Officially less than two months away from the starting of NBA Training Camps, both the Heat and Blazers have less and less time to figure this thing out. The clock is ticking and, whether they are willing to admit it or not, both franchises are on the clock.