The Portland Trail Blazers are finally poised to trade Damian Lillard. Moving the greatest player in franchise history, though, won't be so simple as sending him to the Miami Heat, Lillard's preferred destination.
As trade talks between the Blazers and Heat intensify, it's become clear a third team will likely be involved in any Lillard deal, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
“A potential Portland-Miami deal for Damian Lillard would almost certainly include the involvement of a third team, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.”
This intel comes as no surprise considering Miami's trade package for Lillard was always bound to revolve around Tyler Herro, who doesn't fit Portland's ostensible plans for a full-scale rebuild around a tantalizing backcourt of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Young teams armed with extra draft assets or others on the rise that need help in the backcourt make sense as a landing spot for Herro, whose four-year, $120 million contract extension begins kicking in next season.
Would the Utah Jazz or Oklahoma City Thunder be interested in sending a protected first-round pick to Rip City in a three-team deal with the Blazers and Heat to bring in Herro? The Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans could use extra shooting and scoring punch from the perimeter, too. After likely missing out on Lillard, the Brooklyn Nets could be a suitor for Herro, too.
All signs point to Lillard taking his talents to South Beach. The question now is what both the Heat and Blazers' rosters will look like after a trade is agreed upon.