Over the last two and a half months, the Miami Heat have been trying their best to solidify a deal for Damian Lillard. The franchise has witnessed major amounts of success in recent times. Especially over the last four seasons, Miami has been dwelling on cloud nine. Right now, Miami is where athletes want to be. It is a place they want to explore and grow in the sport of basketball. The Heat have had success in bringing out the best in a player.
In four years, the franchise has appeared in two NBA Finals. Miami looked extremely dominant during the 2022-23 playoffs, especially after the mediocre regular season went through. Firstly, Jimmy Butler is to be appreciated for putting in a lot of effort as a leader. And secondly, Erik Spoelstra is doing a great job of creating an environment for players to mess up, repair the damages and get better.
Acquiring the 7x All-Star point guard would automatically mean they will hold the NBA title at some point within the next few years. The Heat is known for being one of the top-ranked defensive teams in the league. However, their offense is where they need help the most. Butler and former Sixth Man of the Year, Tyler Herro have been great offensively, however, their scoring is fairly limited. Lillard could be the extra boost considering he is someone who can average 30 points with ease.
The Miami Heat may not include Caleb Martin in a package for Damian Lillard
Ever since the trade request was filed by Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat have been in constant touch regarding the matter. Several packages have been offered by Miami with none meeting the demands of Portland. The latter missed out on the opportunity of signing either one of two Heat standouts or both. Before Portland could make a move, Gabe Vincent and Max Struss finalized deals with other teams.
With Portland demanding a lot in return for Lillard, Miami is left with very little wiggle space. The latest trade package that was publicly announced was that the Heat was willing to include Herro and a bunch of first-round picks. Miami’s offer evolved and ultimately had them pitching in Herro, multiple first-round picks and swaps, second-round picks, valuable assets, and expiring contracts. If they were to add in more, they would have to trade a superstar. Which is certainly not what they want to do.
Miami has been hesitant to include Caleb Martin in a package for Damian Lillard, per @AmicoHoops pic.twitter.com/8Ri7PFOQLD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 12, 2023
But with all the available and tradable assets, the Miami Heat has now revealed they are hesitant to trade Caleb Martin. There is a good reason why they do not want to include him considering the amount of potential he possesses. During the regular season, he averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. But he stood out in the playoffs averaging 12.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He proved that he was a good offensive asset to keep around as well. So it wouldn’t make sense to trade him after all.