NBA
League sources have reported that Damian Lillard has ‘serious interest’ in joining the Miami Heat this offseason
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated26 Jun 2023
So far this offseason, we’ve been flooded with news surrounding the future of Damian Lillard. The veteran PG has spent the last 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s remained extremely loyal to the franchise in a time when players are forcing trades. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Damian Lillard has ‘serious interest’ in joining the Miami Heat this offseason. Not the first we’ve heard of this rumor, but it still remains a talking point.
In the 2023 NBA Draft last Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers took PG Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick. League sources thought that Portland might trade the #3 pick in exchange for win-now talent to add to the roster.
With the addition of Henderson and a few other draft choices, the Blazers are still far from being a contender in the West. Damian Lillard has emphasized that he does not want to be a part of another rebuild in Portland. That is why the Miami Heat remains a legitimate option for Lillard this off-season.
Damian Lillard has ‘serious interest’ in joining the Miami Heat, per @sam_amick
“Lillard indeed has serious interest in joining the Heat, who would surely love to pair him with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. If it reaches this point — and there’s still an ‘if’ here considering… pic.twitter.com/0yufPFJwat
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 26, 2023
More and more signs point to veteran PG Damian Lillard joining the Miami Heat this offseason
Over the weekend, Blazers GM Joe Cronin said that the Lillard and the rest of the front office are expected to meet this week. The seven-time all-star is recently returning on a trip from Paris. Sources close to the situation have reported they are going to discuss the next steps of the roster-building process.
Free agency begins this Friday at 6:00 pm and the Blazers need to be ready for that, as well as meeting with Lillard. Sam Amick of The Athletic noted that Lillard has “serious interest” in joining the Miami Heat this offseason. His opinion matters immensely this offseason with the Blazers.
He’s asked them to build a championship roster around him for next season. If they are unable to do that, the 32-year-old PG could be on the move this summer. Lillard still has four years, $216 million left on his current contract. That adds to the decision of him leaving the team this off-season. The Heat would have to pick up that massive contract.
It’s something they did not want to do when Bradley Beal was available to trade for. However, it might be hard for the Heat to pass up on Damian Lillard. He could be the piece that Miami needs to get over the hump and win another NBA title. Lillard will be 33 this summer and is still trying to win his first NBA championship. Joining the Heat could be the best chance he’ll have at winning a title in his career.
