NBA Rumors: Potential Cavs trade, Damian Lillard update, Harden regrade

NBA Rumors: Blazers not talking to Heat about Damian Lillard trade

ESPN insider Brian Windhorst went on the ‘Hoop Collective Podcast’ to drop the anti-bombshell report of the NBA summer: “I don’t think there’s any active trade talks in the NBA right now. Not active for Dame Lillard. And I don’t think there’s anything active for James Harden” (h/t BlazersEdge).

This is bad news for the Miami Heat, Lillard’s preferred destination. The All-Star has made his desire to play for Miami abundantly clear, but a recent crackdown from Adam Silver and the league office stymied any momentum toward a Lillard trade to Miami.

It’s clear the Blazers don’t value what the Heat have to offer in a potential Lillard trade. Tyler Herro and draft capital would be the foundation of any competitive offer. Herro doesn’t have a place in Portland’s depth chart with Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe already on the roster. Meanwhile, the Blazers have struggled to field competitive offers elsewhere due to Lillard’s strong Miami-only messaging and his sizable contract (four years, over $200 million left on the docket).

The 33-year-old Lillard runs the risk of starting the 2023-24 season where he finished last season: in a Blazers uniform. That would certainly make for an awkward reunion. Lillard has been remarkably dedicated to the Blazers organization since he was drafted in 2012, but a summer defined by its youth movement broke Lillard’s resolve. One has to imagine Portland doesn’t want an unhappy Lillard sulking around the locker room and spoiling a historic relationship between player and franchise, but GM Joe Cronin is running out of time to make a deal happen.