Damian Lillard’s Contract Is Major Trade Hurdle for Teams Other Than Heat, Insider Says

Lillard is owed $216 million through the 2026–27 season, making a deal very complicated for a team he may not want to play for long term.

With less than a month until the start of NBA training camp, Damian Lillard remains a member of the Trail Blazers. According to various reports throughout the summer, the star point guard only has eyes for the Heat after requesting a trade from Portland, a fact that hurts the team’s leverage in trade talks with Miami.

While there are a number of teams that a deal for Lillard could arguably push over the top as NBA Finals contenders, it is a huge risk for a team to make a deal for him if he doesn’t want to play there. On Monday, NBA insider Shams Charania said that the crux of the issue is Lillard’s massive contract, for which he is owed $216 million over the next four years. He’ll hit free agency in 2027 at the age of 37.

“Him joining their program and wanting a trade immediately is incredibly unideal,” Charania said on the Bally Sports show The Rally.

Charania added that he has been told that Lillard would only report to training camp in Miami or Portland. However, a Monday evening report by The Oregonian states that Charania’s report is “only partially true.”

Aaron Fentress cites a previous Lillard statement that he would show up and honor his contract for whichever franchise trades for him. However, Fentress agrees with Charania that it wouldn’t be a great situation, and that Lillard would still desire a move to Miami from that new franchise.

“If the Blazers and a team other than Miami hammered out a deal that Portland deemed more desirable than what they could acquire through dealing with the Heat, sources say Lillard would show up to his new team, do his job and play to the best of his abilities,” Fentress reports. “But his desire to go to Miami, sources say, would not dissipate. As Charania stated, that trade demand would still exist. He would be seeking to get out of wherever he found himself the day he arrived.”

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard dribbles against Heat wing Jimmy Butler :: Rich Storry/USA TODAY Sports

While the ultimate sentiment is largely the same, that is a distinct difference from what Charania said. 

“If a team like Toronto, for instance, were to trade for Damian Lillard, I do not believe Lillard would even report,” the insider said on his Bally Sports show The Rally. “I believe that that standing trade request would still be there if here were to be traded to a team like Toronto, or anyone else really that wants to take a chance at this situation.”

“At this point… the only two training camps that Damian Lillard would report to, in theory: Portland and Miami.”

NBA Insider @ShamsCharania updates us on Damian Lillard. pic.twitter.com/zdUyUwWiko

— The Rally (@TheRally) September 11, 2023

There hasn’t been much reported momentum towards a deal between Portland and Miami. Whether Lillard will still be with the Blazers when training camp rolls around on Oct. 3 is anyone’s guess.