Damian Lillard's camp is doing everything in its power to get the seven-time All-Star to the Miami Heat.
Per
Mark Medina of Sportsnaut.com, one person familiar with Lillard's thought process as he awaits a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers said he "just wouldn't report" to a team that isn't the Heat.
Medina did note the person stressed Lillard is "not a disruptor" and would honor his contract, but the superstar point guard "hoped for the Blazers to accommodate his trade request out of respect for both his resume and for his contributions to the Blazers' franchise."
It's been almost one week since Blazers general manager Joe Cronin
confirmed Lillard requested a trade.
Per
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Heat are Lillard's preferred destination, with the Brooklyn Nets considered "among the leading suitors" for the 32-year-old.
While it's unclear exactly what Miami's offers have been up to this point, ESPN's
Adrian Wojnarowskinoted Portland is seeking a "package of desirable draft picks and high-level young players" in exchange for arguably the best player in franchise history.
Per
Aaron Fentress of
The Oregonian, the Heat's best offer thus far hasn't even reached the levels of what San Antonio received last year for guard Dejounte Murray,"
The Atlanta Hawks
sent three first-round draft picks and a pick swap, along with Danilo Gallinari, to the Spurs for Murray and Jock Landale in July 2022.
There are some key differences between the situations with Murray and Lillard. While few people would attempt to argue Murray is a better player, he had two years and $34.3 million left on his previous contract at the time of the deal.
(B/R's
Chris Haynes reported Thursday that Murray was finalizing a four-year, $120 million extension with the Hawks.)
Murray was also 25 years old at the time of the trade. Lillard will turn 33 on July 15 and is
owed $152.97 million over the next three years with a $63.2 million player option in 2026-27.
Neither the Blazers nor Lillard seems to have a lot of leverage in this situation.
The Blazers are trying to trade an undersized guard who, while still wildly talented, is going to be making maximum salaries into his mid-30s at a time when teams seem likely to be more conscious of the salary cap and luxury tax than ever with the apron rules in the new collective bargaining agreement.
Lillard's decision to extend his deal an additional two years last offseason took away a lot of his power because he would've been able to put more pressure on the Blazers if he had maintained the ability to opt out after the 2023-24 season.
This dude is so lame
Portland's the only city where that behavior is the norm from top to bottom
That's what an agent is supposed to do. Nobody believes Dame won't play.
