NBA Trade Rumors: There’s ‘nonexistent’ market outside of Heat for Damian Lillard

NBA Trade Rumors: There’s no reported trade market for Damian Lillard outside of the Miami Heat.

When it was initially reported that Damian Lillard had requested a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers, it was surely a tough pill for the franchise to swallow. However, at the very least, the expectation was that they would get a solid return for one of the 10 best players in the NBA. It’s been more than two months since Lillard’s official trade demand and while there has been no final resolution, one thing has become clear – the Blazers aren’t likely to get a fair-value return for Lillard.

In fact, according to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks, there’s a “nonexistent market” outside of Miami for Lillard at the moment. With the start of training camp just around the corner, this shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Teams want some clarity on their roster heading into the start of the season. Trying to trade for Lillard now or attempting to get into a bidding war a couple of weeks before training camp is not smart business.

Why is there no trade market for Damian Lillard?

It probably hasn’t helped that Lillard and his camp have been working overtime to make it clear that he only wants to be traded to Miami. You can actually make the argument that has been the only consistent from the moment Lillard demanded a trade. Lillard is also 33 years old with four years and $215-plus million left on his contract. Predictably, there aren’t many teams that are looking to jump into that level of commitment.

And yet, there has been no traction toward a Lillard to Miami deal. At this pace, you can’t help but wonder if it’ll ever happen.

So the question the Blazers have to ask themselves right now is whether a lack of a strong market for Lillard means they should trade him now to avoid taking this potential distraction into the season or if they should wait it out.

The next couple of weeks should go a long way in answering that question. Ideally, another team would enter the bidding war for Lillard to help the Blazers get the most out of a potential deal – whether that means trading him to Miami or another team.

But that’s far from a guarantee even if the Blazers do keep Lillard on the roster heading into the season. And with the NBA’s new load management rule going into effect this season, it’s going to be increasingly difficult for Portland to tell Lillard to stay home.

The Blazers have some big decisions to make over the course of the next few weeks. And you’d have to think if Lillard does end up being traded, it’s probably going to be in the next week or two.