‘Understated’ Reason Damian Lillard Wants Trade to Heat Revealed, per Analyst

The longtime Trail Blazers star could potentially be drawn to Miami because of one player.

One of the biggest storylines of this NBA offseason is seeing if the Heat trade for longtime Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

Lillard, who requested a trade from Portland back on July 1, reportedly remains adamant that he wants to end up in Miami. However, an official trade has yet to materialize. According to the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds, there might be one specific Heat player that entices Lillard to join the team.

“He’s made up his mind, this is what he wants,” Reynolds said on Saturday Sports World with Marc Stein. “There’s a billion reasons why. The connection he had with Bam Adebayo I think is a really understated story right now in this whole deal. They connected incredibly at the Tokyo Olympics. You could see bonds being formed. They’ve stayed close.”

“There’s a billion reasons why [Dame wants to be in Miami]. The connection @Dame_Lillard had w/ @Bam1of1 is an understated story right now in this whole deal. They connected incredibly at the Tokyo Olympics. You could see bonds being formed. They’ve stayed close” - @ByTimReynolds pic.twitter.com/kgZZTISca2

— Dru (@dru_star) July 23, 2023

There have been reports that the Trail Blazers would want Adebayo included in a trade package for Lillard. But, there’s been opposing reports saying that the Heat do not intend on giving up Adebayo or Jimmy Butler.