No meaningful dialogue between Heat, Blazers for Damian Lillard trade

Bobby Marks on Blazers: ‘I think if you’re Portland, you have to come to a realization like, you know what? Herro, the two young players and draft picks is going to be better than what you will get. On July 1st? that’s probably a sea-level offer. But you know, come closer to the start of camp like that’s going to be as good, and are you willing to hold on to Damian Lillard into the season for a guy who has missed a ton of games? -via Apple Podcasts / September 6, 2023

But the Damian Lillard situation can’t be looked at in black-and-white. His value is not just his ability on the floor, which is still considerable. He did average 32.2 points and 7.3 assists last year, while shooting 46.3% from the field and 37.1% from the 3-point line. Important numbers to consider, though, are 33 and 77. That is, respectively, Lillard’s age and the number of games he has missed in the past two seasons. “I don’t think anyone likes the idea of Dame coming in and forcing the Blazers’ hand like this, forcing them to take a deal from a team that does not have the assets,” one NBA front-office executive told me. “That’s a bad precedent, and it is one we are seeing too much of. But if Dame had not said, ‘Miami or nothing,’ where else was Portland really going to go for a deal? Maybe Brooklyn? But where else? There’s not that many teams that are going to give you a bunch of players and picks for a 33-year-old who can’t stay healthy and has a giant contract sitting there.” -via Forbes.com / August 31, 2023

Still, the NBA office has not been well pleased by what’s gone on with Lillard, and in late July, sent out a memo to all 30 teams clarifying that Lillard would honor his contract if he were traded to Miami or anywhere else. That changed absolutely nothing. “Well, the league wanted to see a market for him,” the exec said. “Of course, owners don’t want players picking their trade destination and shutting out the other 28 teams. But it was not anything Dame said or Aaron Goodwin said that shut down the market. That stuff didn’t help. But there weren’t teams lined up for him even before that.” -via Forbes.com / August 31, 2023