‘Slow Pace’ of Damian Lillard Trade Talks Making Things Harder for Heat, per Report

Miami continues to pay the price for slowed trade talks with Portland for Lillard.

The Heat want to acquire Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard wants to be traded to the Heat. Seems easy enough, but the Trail Blazers front office wants as strong of a return as possible for Lillard, who has been a pillar of the franchise for over a decade.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Heat not only want Lillard, they need Lillard. Miami was bracing for Lillard to ask out of Portland, and as such let guards Gabe Vincent and Max Strus walk in free agency after their NBA Finals run. It’s fair to assume that Miami would take a step back from title contention without landing a player of Lillard’s caliber to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

The slowed talks between Portland and Miami have made it even harder on the Heat, who are missing out on affordable free agents to help the club as they await a resolution to a Lillard deal. Per Amick, one good example is Taurean Prince, who the team had interest in prior to him ending up in Los Angeles with LeBron James.

The Heat still certainly remain the favorite to land Lillard, but a package would likely need to include a third team for the Trail Blazers to feel good about their return. Amick also noted that any deal for Lillard would likely mean that Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, two other key members of the rotation, would be on their way out of Miami.