Stephen A. Smith said on today’s episode of “First Take” that the Portland Trail Blazers have had several teams reach out regarding a potential trade for superstar guard Damian Lillard. The Miami Heat are among those teams.
Smith said that six or seven teams believe they are in the mix, including the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Clippers and potentially the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lillard and the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs Thursday night in a Game 6 defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
Throughout the series with the Nuggets, Lillard strengthened the argument that he is one of the most clutch players in the NBA. He averaged 34.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game throughout the series while shooting at a 46.3 percent clip from the field and a 44.9 percent clip from deep.
Lillard put on a show in Portland’s Game 5 defeat, scoring 55 points on just 24 shots while also adding 10 assists. In that game, the 30-year-old went 12-for-17 from three-point range, including two massive game-tying shots at the end of regulation and overtime to extend the game.
In the 2020-21 regular season, Lillard averaged 28.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.
Lillard is under contract through the 2024-25 season, so it’s safe to assume that the asking price on a potential trade for the six-time All-Star would be extremely high.