The current state of play in a Damian Lillard trade seems pretty simple. Lillard wants a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, with his heart apparently set on a move to the Miami Heat. The issue is that Miami’s best offer involves sending Tyler Herro to Portland, and he’s just a little too repetitive with the team’s young trio of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons. Add in that he’s about to enter the first year of a 4-year, $120 million contract and it makes sense why the Blazers would have some trepidation about just appeasing Lillard without thinking about what’s best for them.
As such, there are a few ways this can go. Portland could just take the Heat’s best offer, or it could send Lillard elsewhere and deal with whatever apparent consequences would come from that. And then, there’s a third option, which is to try and pull other teams in on a multi-team deal, and according to Marc Spears of ESPN, there are several teams that would be interested in helping to facilitate a Lillard-to-Miami trade.
Via ESPN:
Damian Lillard wants to play for Miami and only Miami, I have been continually told since Saturday. Certainly, it’s easier said than done. I’m told that while Portland isn’t happy with potential packages, there are over five teams interested in a potential multiteam trade that could get it done. It won’t be today or tomorrow or perhaps the next day, but I believe it will ultimately end up with Lillard going to Miami. While Lillard does not have a no-trade clause, it doesn’t make sense to trade for a future Hall of Famer who doesn’t want to be there.
While Spears didn’t explicitly say this would mean a team would take Herro to make a deal happen, it would certainly make sense if there are teams out there that would want to acquire his services for the next four years as a high-scoring wing who can add some playmaking and rebounding.