NBA Trade Rumors: The Portland Trail Blazers want every last asset the Miami Heat has to offer in any potential trade for Damian Lillard.
The good news is that it appears the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers are officially holding talks for a possible Damian Lillard trade. With roughly two weeks before the start of NBA Training Camps, it’s a good development that there is at least some dialogue between the two teams. It’s been no secret that the Lillard wants to find his way to the Heat and, at least up to now, the Blazers have been a bit apprehensive to hold any trade talks with Miami.
However, with urgency setting in, it seems like there’s at least a bit of effort coming from both sides to potentially find a common middle ground. From everything that has been reported recently, it seems like there have been some trade talks recently between the Heat and Blazers.
On the flip side, the bad news is that the Blazers reportedly want every asset the Heat has in any trade for Lillard.
On The Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst gave a little inside knowledge into the “negotiations” that are taking place between the Heat and Blazers. Windy said if the Blazers are going to trade Lillard to the Heat, Miami is going to have to give them every last asset that they can get a hold of.
Both the Heat and Blazers have fair arguments to stand their ground
Even if the Heat and Blazers are talking, it’s easy to see why a trade agreement could be difficult to arise. There are very fair reasons for both sides to hold their ground.
Portland should want every possible asset that the Heat has. Lillard is a top 10 player in the NBA and despite the fact that he is getting older, he’s a superstar player that is automatically going to make a top 2 or 3 team in the Eastern Conference and one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship as a whole.
At the same time, without a huge market for Lillard, you can also see why the Heat may be a bit hesitant to give up what the Blazers want. Why would the Heat negotiate against themselves? If they have a line that they refuse to cross in any potential trade for Lillard, why should they?
This is why it’s likely going to take a middle ground to get to a path toward a deal. The big question is, are both teams at a point where they’re willing to negotiate in good faith?