Heat Don’t Have Any Advantage in Potential Damian Lillard Trade, per Report

The star point guard reportedly wants to play for Miami, but he doesn’t have a no-trade clause.

Despite Damian Lillard’s reported desire to play for the Heat, it’s far from certain that Miami will be his trade destination. While appearing on SportsCenter this weekend, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Trail Blazers are willing to send their franchise star to any NBA team. Miami has no advantage because Lillard does not have a no-trade clause. 

When contacted by other teams, Portland made it clear it’s willing to send him to any team and is only concerned about getting the best deal possible. The Blazers are interested in acquiring young players, draft picks and salary cap relief, per Wojnarowski, who added that it won’t be a quick process. 

The Trail Blazers do not plan to cooperate with Damian Lillard on his trade request to the Heat, per @wojespn:

- Portland “open for business everywhere in the league” on trading Lillard.

- Blazers seeking a combination of young players, draft picks and cap relief.

- Miami has… pic.twitter.com/n7y8PtaCgo

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 2, 2023

Lillard’s trade request rocked the NBA at its core when it became public Saturday, as the 32-year-old has frequently preached loyalty to the franchise that drafted him in 2012 despite its struggles to surround him with a championship-level roster. ESPN also reported the 76ers and Clippers would be interested in the seven-time All-Star. 

The point guard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists this past season for Portland, earning his seventh All-NBA selection.