Every offseason, reports speculating Damian Lillard to be on the move have become common now. However, these rumors could have some weight to them this year. For the past few weeks now, NBA insiders have been predicting Dame’s preferred destination to be the Miami Heat. Set to earn $45,000,000 in the upcoming season, Lillard’s potential move to join forces with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could upend the hierarchy of the league. According to an FS1 analyst, the Heat’s trio could easily eclipse the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023-24 season.
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Chris Haynes of TNT recently reported that the Portland Trail Blazers guard had no intentions of joining a ‘superteam’. The 32-year-old isn’t interested in joining any side with three All-Stars. He just wants to play on a title-contending squad. Moreover, Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin doesn’t want his star to part ways with the team just yet.
Following Dame and his agent’s meeting with Portland’s front office, Cronin insisted that the franchise was going to “remain committed” to construct a competitive roster for Dame.
Nick Wright believes the Miami Heat can become a “top-of-the-line contender”
On the recent episode of First Things First, the panel had an in-depth discussion about Dame’s potential move to the Florida side. Nick Wright kickstarted the conversation by stating that the 2023 NBA Finalists would instantly become a “top-of-the-line contender” with Dame. Wright even claimed that Pat Riley and co. didn’t make a push to acquire Bradley Beal this summer only because Lillard has been their target. Wright said on the FS1 show:
“This is gonna happen…Miami, a team that was confident enough that they could get him, they stayed essentially entirely out of the Bradley Beal sweepstakes because they want Damian Lillard… He’s gonna be on the Miami Heat and we’re gonna have another top-of-the-line contender.”
If Lillard were to join the Heat, the Dame-Butler-Adebayo trio would be a nightmare for any team in the league to deal with. Wright even stated that this potential big 3 would be better than the newly-formed Phoenix Suns’ trio, LeBron James’ Lakers, and the Milwaukee Bucks, and would only trail the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray-Aaron Gordon trio, as the second-best across the league.
To be fair, acquiring the seven-time All-Star would be extremely beneficial for Miami. Even if the likes of Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, and future draft picks were to be traded, the Heat would be one of the most lethal teams in the league.
Damian Lillard has good relationships with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo
Damian Lillard’s move to South Beach makes even more sense after learning about the 6-feet-2 sharpshooter’s relationship with Bam Adebayo. The two stars have been close friends for quite a few years now. But their bond became stronger after the 2020 Tokyo Games, helping Team USA win the Gold.
Jimmy Butler’s recent cryptic social media activity has also hyped up the Dame rumors. A few days ago, the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player took to Instagram, sharing a song that he was listening to. Turns out, Jimmy Buckets was listening to “Money ball”, a song by Dame D.O.L.L.A, Lillard’s rap name.
Amid the trade conversation, earlier this month, Lillard spoke about the Miami Heat being his preferred destination in a hypothetical trade. Have a look at NBA Central’s tweet.
Are Lillard’s final days with the Portland franchise over? Or will we see him display his loyalty yet again and don the Blazers uniform in the coming campaign? It’ll be interesting keeping an eye on Dame’s movements over the next few days.
