Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard requested a trade on July 1. Rumors had been swirling for months and teams are gearing up packages. It may not matter as Lillard has made it clear he wants to be sent to the Miami Heat to play with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
The Heat only have two first-round picks to offer in a trade and are unlikely to have the best package for the star. Will Portland honor their franchise GOAT’s request and send him to Miami? Do they accept the best offer? Expect the front office to reward Dame’s loyalty by sending him where he wants to go.
What can the Heat offer? Here are three packages ranked from worst to best for the Portland Trail Blazers when trading away Dame.
Ranking Damian Lillard trade packages for Portland Trail Blazers
3. Heat’s preferred but Blazers should hold out for more
Portland wants young players and draft picks in return for Damian Lillard. They just drafted Scoot Henderson with the number three overall pick, and they have some intriguing young talent. Expect Portland to target Tyler Herro and the two first-round draft picks that Miami has available.
Duncan Robinson gets thrown in as a salary-matcher, and the Heat may also add Jamie Jaquez Jr., who they just selected in the first round. This gives Portland a young and talented 20-point per-game scorer, two future draft picks, and a promising talent to try to build out their roster in the post-Dame era.
The Portland Trail Blazers will certainly ask for more here, but can they get it? Here is a more likely offer from both sides.