Blazers PG Damian Lillard Has ‘Serious Interest’ in Trade to Heat

Portland Trail Blazerspoint guard Damian Lillard wants to stay where he is, as long as the team puts him in a position to compete for a championship soon.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Lillard and the Blazers front office is set to meet this week to discuss the future of the team. If Lillard feels like the Blazers aren’t putting him in a position to win, he has “serious interest” in a trade to theMiami Heat.

Lillard indeed has serious interest in joining theHeat, who would surely love to pair him withJimmy ButlerandBam Adebayo. If it reaches this point — and there’s still an “if” here considering all the times Lillard chose not to ask out before — Lillard’s wishes would matter a great deal because of the enormity of his contract.

The Blazers want to do right by Dame. As the leading scorer in franchise history for a city that bleeds Blazers red, Lillard is beloved in Portland. Even though he has yet to reach theNBA Finals, some believe he is the best player in franchise history over Clyde Drexler, who led the Blazers to a pair of Finals appearances in the 1990s.

That being said, it might be best for the Blazers to move on from Dame and get the best trade package for him, especially after drafting a potential franchise cornerstone replacement in Scoot Henderson.

The Blazers want Dame and Scoot, but they may not be able to have their cake and eat it too.