NBA
The Trail Blazers prefer Jaime Jaquez Jr. over Nikola Jovic in a package deal for Damian Lillard
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 WolpinUpdated02 Aug 2023
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat are in a stalemate when it comes to making a deal for Damian Lillard. Miami has all the interest in the veteran PG, but Portland wants a massive haul in return. The Heat reportedly are offering multiple first-round picks, players, and expiring contracts to the Blazers. Greg Sylvander noted that Portland prefers rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. over Nikola Jovic in a deal for Lillard.
This offseason, the Trail Blazers have made it clear that they are in no rush to trade Damian Lillard. He’s under contract with the team for two more seasons but has requested a trade to the Miami Heat. Portland has the leverage in this situation and they are making their own preferences in what they can get in return for Lillard.
In the 2023 NBA Draft, the Heat took UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the 18th overall pick. He averaged (17.8) points per game as a senior last season and the Blazers prefer him in a trade over Nikola Jovic. If the Heat are seriously trying to compete for a championship, they might have to let go of their highly touted first-round pick.
The Portland Trailblazers reportedly prefers Jaime Jaquez Jr. over Nikola Jovic in a potential Damian Lillard trade, per @GregSylvander
“Small update: A league source tells me that AS OF NOW: the perception is, Portland prefers Jaime Jaquez over Nikola Jovic to be involved in… pic.twitter.com/AgitpYR4dq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 1, 2023
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a player the Blazers prefer to get in a trade for Damian Lillard
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that no team across the NBA can make a serious offer that Portland would accept for Damian Lillard. That includes the Miami Heat. In two of the last four postseasons, the Heat have made it to the NBA Finals. They’ve lost both Finals appearances. One to the Lakers in 2020 and in 2023 to the Nuggets.
Miami is missing another superstar player who can help elevate the team to another level. That’s where Lillard comes into play. He’s requested a trade from the Blazers and has said publicly that his preferred destination is Miami. The Heat have made multiple offers to the Blazers, but GM Joe Cronin has an enormous asking price. Trade discussions are quiet at the moment Portland has said they don’t intend to move Lillard before the start of training camp.
