One reason the Miami Heat haven’t landed Damian Lillard yet is that the Portland Trail Blazers reportedly don’t love the assets the Heat have offered. But a potential multi-team deal could eventually give the Heat their superstar target and sharpshooter Buddy Hield.
Heat insiders Ethan Skolnick and Greg Sylvander discussed the potential Lillard-to-Heat move on a recent episode of the “Five on the Floor” podcast, offering a “speculative framework” of how a four-team trade can be pulled off.
“I wanna make it clear that this is not reporting from us,” Sylvander said. “This is just really basic. I’m gonna go as far to call it speculative framework of what a deal could look like between these four teams. But I will say that we’ve all heard in some way, shape or form that these are the types of teams that are involved in this conversation. It would end up with a four-team deal like Miami, Portland, Phoenix and Indiana, which I think is an interesting mix here.”
According to Sylvander, the deal would have the Blazers ending up with Deandre Ayton, Kyle Lowry and Jaime Jaquez Jr., Phoenix Suns with Jusuf Nurkic, T.J. McConnell and Caleb Martin and Indiana Pacers with Tyler Herro. Interestingly, the framework would land Miami Lillard and Hield.
There have been conflicting reports on the potential Lillard-to-Heat trade recently, as some say that talks between the Heat and Blazers have picked up recently, while a report claiming it has been more than two months since the two sides discussed a deal has cropped up.
Whatever the case may be, it seems like a straight-up deal between Miami and Portland is off the table. A three-team or four-team deal may be necessary for the Heat to nab their target. Fortunately for Miami, several teams have reportedly shown interest in Herro, including possibly the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets. The inclusion of the Pacers on that list is certainly a welcome development.
Some Heat fans probably want Herro to remain in Miami. After all, he is a rising star who has thrived in a reserve role, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2022, and as a starter. Last season, he put up 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 3-pointers per game while starting all 67 games in the regular season.
However, the University of Kentucky product is arguably the team’s most attractive asset. Any deal for a superstar of Lillard’s caliber would require letting go of Herro.
But it would be a coup for Miami if it also gets to land Hield, who has been one of the most prolific outside scorers in the league these past seasons. The sniper would give the Heat another potent weapon from the perimeter, something they sorely need.
