LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 23: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates as he points to his wrist after scoring a three-pot basket in the closing seconds of the game against Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on October 23, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Another day and yet another bit of drama in the ongoing Damian Lillard saga. The Portland Trail Blazers star set the internet ablaze with a now-deleted Instagram post that implies he will soon be wearing a Miami Heat jersey. Take a look.
At this point, Dame doesn’t appear to be hiding his preference to play in Miami. Even if he later deleted his Instagram post so that he wouldn’t run afoul of the NBA, which warned him against discouraging other teams from trading for him.
Despite that, this certainly sends the message that Dame only wants to play in South Beach and that other teams shouldn’t waste their time or assets trying to trade for him. That isn’t good for the Blazers, who have been trying to extract more assets for their star by taking a firm stance on what they’ll take back. While a deal hasn’t gotten done, it doesn’t mean that it will work.
Will the Blazers trade Damian Lillard to the Heat?
Preseason is less than a month away, and that should give both the Blazers and Heat a reason to complete a deal. The Blazers probably don’t want the distraction of Lillard at training camp, let alone in the preseason, where he will have to face Portland fans who might have turned on him.
They also have another reason to want him gone. With him gone, the Blazers may be the worst team in the West and one of the four worst teams in the NBA. That would give them a chance at the number one pick. His absence would also allow potential star Scoot Henderson to play more freely and develop faster.
For Miami, their offseason has pretty much been on hold as they wait for the Lillard situation to play out. If nothing gets done before the start of the season, then their roster would be thin until a trade actually happens—if it ever does.
All in all, there are a lot of reasons for both sides to want to get a deal done, and Lillard has made it clear where he wants to play next season.
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Author: Cal Durrett
September 16, 2023 | 11:00 am
