Insider Says The Heat Are ‘Daring’ The Trail Blazers On Trade Front

With training camp approaching, the clock is ticking on the Miami Heat‘s attempts to land Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

Lillard requested a trade over two months ago, and he made it clear that the Heat, and only the Heat, are the team he wants to be sent to.

In fact, he reportedly will not report to training camp if he is traded to any other team.

There has been little, if any, progress for Miami on a potential Lillard deal, and per NBACentral, Adrian Wojnarowski says they’re “essentially daring Portland” to try to find a different trade partner.

The Miami Heat are ‘daring’ the Portland Trailblazers to find a better trade for Damian Lillard in the marketplace, per Woj

“[The Miami Heat] want Damian Lillard. They just want him for as little as they’re going to have to give up and they’re essentially daring Portland to go… pic.twitter.com/OxyhoTlV1V

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 19, 2023

Reports have indicated that the Heat are currently the only team interested in or willing to trade for Lillard, and if that holds up, that would likely mean a lesser haul for the Blazers, as they would have no leverage.

Portland has revamped their team and gotten considerably younger over the last couple of years, and it seems to make sense for them to trade Lillard at this point and get as many assets as they can for him.

Lillard, a seven-time NBA All-Star, has played all of his 11 seasons in Portland, yet the team has never been a championship contender during that time, as it has reached the Western Conference Finals just once.

At age 33, his chances of ever winning a world championship are gradually diminishing, but if he gets his wish and relocates to South Florida, those chances would get a huge boost right away.

He would likely make the Heat the favorites to win it all, or at least the co-favorites along with the Denver Nuggets.

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