Inside The Heat

ESPN's Brian Windhorst Suggests Miami Heat As Favorite If Damian Lillard Leaves Portland Trail Blazers

The Miami Heat-Damian Lillard speculation has already started

Shandel Richardson

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The Miami Heat have yet to clinch a playoffs spot and the speculation has already began. 

The Heat have long been linked with possibly acquiring another superstar to play alongside Jimmy Butler. ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst said Thursday Damian Lillard could be a target if he decides to leave the Portland Trail Blazers before his contract expires. 

Windhorst said the Blazers may consider trading Lillard now while his value is so high. He averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assist and 4.8 rebounds this season but the Blazers missed the playoffs. 

Lillard has hinted he wants to win a title in Portland but that window may have closed. 

So enter the Heat? 

"The team I'm watching is the Miami Heat," Windhorst said. "The Heat are ready to go to their next star window. This is what they do. The Heat hunts stars. His time would probably match Jimmy Butler in terms of age. They have tradeable things potentially that the Blazers could want. I'm being a little premature but that's kind of what I see happening."

The Heat's most valuable trade assets are Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Although Adebayo was once considered off the table, the Heat may be willing to part ways with either player if they fail to make the playoffs or endure an early exit. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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