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NBA Trade Rumors: Renewed hope Lillard to Heat deal could get done before camp?

Michael Saenz
Michael Saenz

Sir Charles in Charge

Damian Lillard (Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports)

NBA Trade Rumors: There’s reportedly new hope that a Damian Lillard to Miami Heat deal could get done before the start of training camp.

It seems like it was an eternity ago when Damian Lillard officially demanded a trade to the Miami Heat. It hasn’t been two months yet, but in the NBA trade demand world, that can often feel like years. Nevertheless, with the dog days of the offseason quickly coming to an end, there’s reportedly renewed hope that a potential Lillard to the Heat deal can get done before the start of NBA Training Camps.

According to a recent report, there’s hope or an expectation that trade talks centered around Lillard between the Heat and Blazers could pick up in the next couple of weeks as the start of training camp inches closer.

Whether or not that ends up happening is the big question. But with the start of training camp around the corner, the intentions of the Blazers are going to become crystal clear.

Why the Portland Trail Blazers may be ready to have serious Damian Lillard trade talks

I think if the Blazers do end up re-engaging with the Heat, it does tell us a couple of things. For one, it suggests that Portland isn’t completely opposed to trading Lillard to Miami. That’s important. That’s a good faith indication on the part of the Blazers to Lillard. Whether it is genuine remains to be seen.

Secondly, it shows that the Blazers do have some willingness to trade Lillard before the start of the season. With the days counting down until the start of training camp, if the Blazers have any desire or hope to trade Lillard before camp opens, they have to jump into trade talks pretty quickly.

At least so far this offseason, the Blazers have been extremely patient when it came to Lillard trade talks. Portland didn’t want to rush things and wanted the market to fully develop before they made a decision one way or another, it seems.

But it’s hard to imagine the trade market for Lillard expanding once the season starts. Maybe the Blazers agree with that and are ready to make the best of the situation.

The next few interesting should be quite telling. Are the Blazers serious about trading Lillard? We will likely find out very soon.

Michael Saenz

Michael Saenz

Michael Saenz is the site expert at All U Can Heat. He has been writing about the NBA since 2012 for sites across the FanSided network. In the past, he has been featured on other outlets such as Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. He has also spent time covering high school and college football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer for local newspapers in Texas. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, camping, and the occasional beach day.