After weeks of no Damian Lillard trade news, the Heat and Blazers are expected to resume trade talks surrounding the All-Star guard, NBA insider Shams Charania reports.
“I expect Portland and Miami to re-engage before the start of training camps coming up here in the next two and a half weeks,” Charania said on The Rally. “Really at this point, I’m told the only two training camps that Damian Lillard would report to, in theory: Portland and Miami.
“So if a team like Toronto, for instance, were to trade for Damian Lillard, I don’t believe Lillard would even report. 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.”
However, a somewhat conflicting report from The Oregonian/OregonLive has emerged and claims that Charania’s information is “only partially true”.
Lillard would in fact show up to another team’s training camp if he happened to be traded there.
“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,” Aaron Fentress wrote.
“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.”
Miami are reluctant to include Caleb Martin in a deal for Lillard, according to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, which may yet another reason the whole process is taking so long.
Other Heat players like Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic or Jaime Jaquez Jr. could also be on the trading block.
Previously during trade talks, it was reported that Miami’s trade packages weren’t enticing enough for Portland.
One thing is for sure, receiving Portland’s best asset won’t come cheap and if Miami can’t come up with the goods, Lillard may just end up staying put.
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