The Miami Heat currently have the third-best betting odds to land Portland Trail Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard.
The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers are the only teams with more favorable odds at this point.
Rumors of a potential trade involving the six-time All-Star began swirling shortly after the Trail Blazers were eliminated in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs by the Denver Nuggets.
The series loss was no fault of Lillard’s, who averaged 34.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 10.2 assists per contest throughout the six games against Denver. Many fans have grown frustrated with Portland’s inability to make a deep playoff run despite having a player of Lillard’s caliber.
The Heat could potentially lose some key players to free agency this offseason, making Miami a viable landing spot for Lillard.
Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica, Udonis Haslem, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn highlight the list of players who are no longer under contract after this year. Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala both have team options.
If Miami does pull the trigger on a Lillard trade, they’d be getting a generational talent. The 30-year-old is averaging 29.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game over his two most recent regular seasons, while shooting at a 45.7 percent clip from the field and 39.6 percent from deep.
Lillard is under contract through the 2024-25 season.