God, I would love to land Damian Lillard.
When the 2023 NBA Draft arrived, there was massive speculation around the possibility of the Portland Trail Blazers making a huge move — like a Damian Lillard trade — but that ended up not happening.
However, when the Trail Blazers selected guard Scoot Henderson in the draft, it only added fuel to the fire, with many believing the likelihood Portland will eventually trade Lillard is strong.
Getting closer to July, the rumors on Lillard’s situation are only “heating” up, as it appears the Miami Heat aren’t backing down whatsoever on making a deal for the superstar. And it looks like one could actually happen, as some new information is pointing us in that direction.
The Trail Blazers reportedly have plans to upgrade their roster via free agency in an attempt to keep Lillard in Portland, Oregon, according to The Athletic. But if that upgrade isn’t done (and it won’t be, because who wants to live in Portland?), then Lillard could indeed demand a trade.
If the Blazers fail to land a big fish this summer, The Athletic reports that Damian Lillard “has serious interest” in taking his talents to South Beach and joining the Heat.
“Lillard indeed has serious interest in joining the Heat, who would surely love to pair him with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo,” The Athletic’s report reads. “If it reaches this point — and there’s still an ‘if’ here considering all the times Lillard chose not to ask out before — Lillard’s wishes would matter a great deal because of the enormity of his contract.”
Also, Lillard has the leverage between him and Portland because of his mammoth contract, according to The Athletic.
“With four seasons and a combined $216 million left on his deal (including a player option worth $63 million in the 2026-27 season), the prospect of a team trading for Lillard against his wishes is hard to fathom,” The Athletic reads. “So while he doesn’t have the kind of no-trade clause that played such a pivotal part in the recent Bradley Beal trade from Washington to Phoenix, his leverage in the situation is similar.”
What would it take to convince Damian Lillard to remain with the Blazers?
Here’s one solution that is known to be a dream scenario from Lillard’s vantage point, per @sam_amick:
Re-sign Jerami Grant and add Draymond Green in free agency.https://t.co/w1M0iqxRBU pic.twitter.com/69xZgswg8b
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 26, 2023
Man, there’ve been so many mixed signals with this whole Lillard saga.
But I do know that Draymond Green is definitely not going to Portland the way The Athletic brought up, and the Blazers aren’t landing a big fish at that. I mean, dang, Damian has been in Portland for 11 seasons now. They’ve never been able to land a huge free agent before, why would they start now?
I keep going back and forth of where I have Lillard going (or staying), but the deeper we get into this situation, the more confidence I have as a Miami Heat fan that he’s coming to the 3-0-5.
Take the recent Instagram video from Damian, for example, with Will Smith’s “Miami” playing in the background and his people making slick comments to him throughout. Then after that, you had Jimmy Butler post himself on his Instagram just casually listening to Lillard’s music (he raps if you don’t know).
Jimmy Butler posted a Damian Lillard song after Dame was spotted with “Welcome To Miami” playing in the background 👀 pic.twitter.com/Gth6bDbtJT
— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) June 24, 2023
At this point, I have a ton of confidence that Damian Lillard will be in a Heat uniform — but I’m cautiously optimistic. He’s a big fish, and I don’t want to get my hopes up, especially with the Blazers wanting to retain him and all of the moving pieces involved for Miami to pull off something so giant. (RELATED: ‘Bricktorgate’: Footage Of Victor Wembanyama Shooting Bricks Mysteriously Deleted From The Internet Before Resurfacing)
But Lord knows … oh my, does He ever so know … that I want this so bad.