NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat can’t afford to miss out on Damian Lillard
NBA Trade Rumors: After losing Max Strus and Gabe Vincent in free agency, have the Miami Heat put themselves in a position where they now need Damian Lillard?
On July 1st, Damian Lillard requested a trade to the Miami Heat.
After much speculation in previous weeks about possibly demanding a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard made the decision about his future quite clear at the beginning of the offseason.
Once it became clear that the Heat were one piece away from getting over the top and winning a championship, after another surprising run to the NBA Finals in which they lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets, the Lillard fit was clear as day. And his relationship with Bam Adebayo only helps make the case further.
The Miami Heat are still no closer to landing Damian Lillard
However, the problem still remains the same. Miami does not have the pieces necessary to accommodate a Damian Lillard trade (in the eyes of Portland). Tyler Herro is a nice young asset that many teams would love to have but isn’t a good fit for the Blazers.
The Blazers already have a slew of young guards, such as Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson, therefore Herro is of no interest to them. Not to mention Miami’s draft picks aren’t all that appealing due to the winning success they’ve established over the years.
Miami has lost two huge key contributors, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent. They provided much-needed shooting and hustle during their trip to the NBA Finals. However, the Heat were only an 8th seed with them, and their trip to the finals was more shocking than any team’s run in NBA history.
With Butler’s inconsistent health in the regular season and Bam Adebayo’s lack of aggressiveness offensively, Erik Spoelstra can only do so much. The morale of Herro is also in question after being in trade negotiations all summer and missing the entire NBA Finals run due to injury.
The Heat not only want Damian Lillard, they need him and they need him now.
Lillard would solve the shooting and point guard issues the Heat currently have. Miami would have a perfect roster but they’d be in a much better position with Lillard than without him. Lillard can close out games, carry an offense, and create for others just in case a Butler injury occurs.
Lillard is still a Blazer, and despite some recent hope that a deal could come to fruition before the start of NBA Training Camp, it looks like Portland is not interested in the Heat’s offer. At least for now. It might be the best offer Portland can get. However, the smart move may be to hold onto Lillard until the trade deadline.
Perhaps other teams will be interested by then or Miami will be more desperate if they struggle in the regular season with their current depleted roster.
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Miami may be the only team in the market for Lillard right now, but they need him if they want to have any chance in the Eastern Conference again. We’ll see if Portland tests Miami this upcoming season by letting things play out until the deadline.