The Miami Heat’s interest in trading for Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard has been well-documented in recent months, but a new report indicates that several teams beyond the Heat have considered trading for Lillard as well.
“Despite being warned by Lillard’s agent to stay away, several teams beyond just the Heat have considered trading for him, sources told Hoops Wire,” NBA insider Sam Amico wrote. “Several others have offered to act as a third-team facilitator.”
Lillard was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft after four seasons playing college basketball at Weber State University. He averaged 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during his four seasons with the Wildcats.
Lillard’s best season of college basketball came during his senior campaign, the 2011-12 season. He averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game across 32 games played (all starts).
Those numbers were good enough for Lillard to earn the Player of the Year honors in his conference, something he did twice during his collegiate career.
The guard’s contributions translated into a whole lot of success for the 2011-12 iteration of the Wildcats. They finished the season with a superb 25-7 record but missed out on the NCAA Tournament.
Lillard has played 11 seasons in the NBA, all as a member of the Trail Blazers franchise. He averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in 58 appearances with the Trail Blazers during the 2022-23 regular season (all starts). Lillard also earned an All-Star nod — the seventh of his pro career — plus a spot on the All-NBA Third Team.
Despite Lillard’s fantastic 2022-23 regular season, the Trail Blazers didn’t win enough games to qualify for the postseason. They finished the regular season with a poor 33-49 record, the third-worst record of any team in the Western Conference, ahead of only the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
The report from Amico that other teams have considered trading for Lillard may be bad news for Heat fans who want to see the seven-time All-Star in a Miami jersey. Time will tell if Lillard still ends up getting traded to the Heat before the 2023-24 NBA regular season tips off.
