Damian Lillard names preferred trade destinations in podcast hypothetical

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard divulged his preferred trade destinations in a recent podcast appearance. 

The future of the Portland Trail Blazers has never been murkier. On one hand, Damian Lillard just put together his best statistical campaign to date. On the other hand, Portland finished the season 16 games below .500 and 13th in the Western Conference.

Now Portland owns the No. 3 pick in June’s NBA Draft, which is widely expected to be Scoot Henderson — another 6-foot-2 point guard with a tendency to dominate touches. The Blazers have projected a desire to build around Dame and win a championship, but what are the realistic odds of that happening? Who can Portland trade for with the No. 3 pick, and will that player truly outweigh the long-term value of a player like Henderson?

A rebuild is inevitable, it’s only a matter of when. Does Portland hit the reset button and trade Lillard now, or do we continue this charade of pretending the Blazers are relevant for another year? If you ask Lillard, he’s more open to a trade than we previously thought — and he even has preferred destinations in mind.

Damian Lillard names his preferred trade destinations: the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets

Brian Custer of Showtime’s The Last Stand gave Lillard four hypothetical trade destinations to choose from: Miami, New York, Boston, and Brooklyn. Which one would he like the most?

“Miami, obviously.” Lillard went on to note that Bam Adebayo is his “dog,” before noting his friendship with Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges and how the Nets would be a suitable alternative.

New York fans are probably heartbroken, as there’s nothing more central to Knicks fandom than photoshopping star players into blue and orange. The Knicks still have enough trade ammo to acquire Lillard if he hits the market, but preference could play a significant role in where the Blazers star goes if he ever does demand out.

The Heat are obviously in the Finals and have a long track record of A) fielding competitive teams and B) being located in Miami, FL, both of which are very appealing to high-profile NBA players. It’s not difficult to imagine the fit either: Lillard running two-man actions with Bam would be quite fruitful. Plus, the clutch shot-making between Dame and Jimmy Butler? Wowza.

The primary challenge for Miami is coming up with the trade assets to acquire Lillard. The breadth of young talent on that roster is not great. It’s mostly Tyler Herro, who isn’t really enough to compete with the packages New York or, say, Brooklyn can put together. Bridges and Lillard would make a fearsome duo.

None of this matters unless Lillard decides to put his foot down and demand a trade. His loyalty to Portland has been a major talking point for years now — he won’t stop mentioning it. But now that he’s openly pondering hypothetical alternatives, maybe Portland fans should be on red alert. With Scoot Henderson coming down the pipeline, is change on the horizon?