Damian Lillard has requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, according to TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes and The Athletic's Shams Charania. He appears to have his eyes set on the Miami Heat for his next team.
Lillard last season averaged a career-best 32.3 points per game. He does not receive enough credit, but he could be considered as one of the NBA's best all-time shooters given his range and ability to score from distance off the dribble.
Assuming things go as expected, Lillard will try and lead the Miami Heat back to the NBA Finals in 2023-24. But New York Knicks guard Josh Hart put in his pitch to try and bring Lillard to “The Big Apple.” From Hart's Twitter account:
Lillard could thrive with the Knicks, but they do not appear to be a team he is interested in. Charania said the Trail Blazers have been informed Lillard specifically wants a trade to Miami.
The Heat defeated Hart and the New York Knicks in the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals. New York and the Milwaukee Bucks were beaten by the Heat before Miami had a seven-game series it won over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Lillard has made the NBA's conference finals series once in his career (2019). He will have a chance to compete for championships right away if he is dealt to the Heat. The Knicks have not made the conference finals since 2000, and if Hart's request does not work as expected, they will have a hard time getting there.
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