It has been more than two months since seven-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard told the Portland Trail Blazers he wanted to be traded, and yet, as of today, Lillard remains with the team.
Trade talks have reached a stalemate, with Lillard looking to force his way out and Blazers general manager Joe Cronin looking to get the best package in exchange for Lillard — whether that’s from the Miami Heat or one of the other 28 teams in the NBA.
With no resolution in sight, we asked our NBA experts to play GM for the Heat and three other teams that could potentially pull off a deal for Lillard, making their best possible offer to acquire the franchise guard. We enlisted ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks to decide which proposals make the most sense for Portland.
Lillard takes his talents to South Beach
Miami Heat get: Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic
Portland Trail Blazers get: Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, first-round swap rights in 2028 and 2030.
There is only one Lillard trade that actually makes sense, and that is to the Heat.
Considering both Lillard’s age (he turned 33 in July) and his contract (he’s owed more than $200 million over the next four seasons), a team taking on Lillard at this point in his career needs to have enough to at least make it interesting for Portland to make a deal yet also enough to remain championship caliber after the trade.
