As multiple trades are occurring simultaneously across the league, many fans are still viewing the situation with the Miami Heat and wondering if their franchise will be able to acquire Damian Lillard in this NBA offseason. Most people might have already heard about the ongoing discussions. Lillard has been loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers for more than a decade but has been unable to help the franchise win a coveted NBA championship or even get out of the Western Conference.
On the other hand, the Miami Heat have managed to make the NBA Finals twice in the last 4 years. However, they were outclassed by the opposition at the very end and were unable to get the job done. Many experts have claimed that the Heat is still missing a key piece required to win a championship.
Miami clearly thinks that Dame could be the star who gets them over the hump and has been involved in intense negotiations with the Blazers over securing Lillard. In fact, reports have already emerged on the potential trade package that the Heat are willing to offer. Although there is still no certainty that the Blazers will be swayed by this offer, let us take a closer look and find out more.
Miami Heat leave Caleb Martin out of the question
With the exception of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, it looks like the Heat are unwilling to move on from Caleb Martin. It has been reported that they are unwilling to include him in any trade deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. While Martin is nowhere close to Lillard in terms of experience and skill, he made quite a name for himself in the recent playoff push by the Miami Heat.
Instead, the Heat is looking to offer a package including Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and future draft picks in return for Damian Lillard. Although Herro and Robinson have proven themselves to be key players in the Heat roster, they are now on the trade block and are expected to be traded to Portland if a trade for Lillard comes to fruition.
Miami is “prepared to offer a package” centered around Tyler Herro, possibly Duncan Robinson and picks for Dame, per B/R’s @ChrisBHaynes
Heat prefer to keep Caleb Martin out of any trade. pic.twitter.com/6UQKkXEYt6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2023
Some fans feel that this package might not be able to convince the Heat to part with Lillard. Especially when there are other teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, who can offer better packages. We already know that Dame is interested in going to Miami. However, the Heat might have to give up more assets to the Blazers in order to convince them to part ways with their star point guard.