National Basketball Association

Damian Lillard's agent reportedly sends warning to non-Miami Heat trade suitors

Updated Jul. 6, 2023 12:54 p.m. ET

Damian Lillard continues to signal that he wants to be traded to only one team.

Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, has cautioned non-Miami Heat teams from trading for his client, saying they'd be trading for an "unhappy player," ESPN reported Thursday. However, according to the report, general managers have indicated that the pressure from Goodwin won't impact their respective team's pursuit of Lillard.

While the Portland Trail Blazers plan to honor Lillard's trade request, the organization might not honor his specific desire to be dealt to the Heat. Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin is seeking "the deepest return of assets available" in return for the seven-time All-Star guard, and the team doesn't appear interested in acquiring Heat guard Tyler Herro and the four years and $120 million owed on his extension, according to the ESPN report.

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There have been a handful of teams that have shown interest in Lillard, including the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, according to multiple reports.

As the Lillard saga appears to heat up between the player and his current team, FOX Sports' Jason McIntyre thinks there's one clear side to take: Lillard's. On Wednesday's edition of "The Herd," McIntyre explained that he'll always take the player over ownership in any situation, but also recognized that Lillard might be stuck.

"Dame Lillard is in that situation," McIntyre said, referring to when LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010 and when Kevin Durant departed Oklahoma City in 2016. "But folks, he hung around too long. There's no other way around it. Lillard is stuck in Portland because there is no trade for him. He's turning 33 this summer. He's still a very good player, but I wouldn't say he's at the height of his powers, even though he just had one of the greatest statistical seasons of his career.

"The problem is that he was just too loyal to Portland. Loyalty is like an antiquated idea. Loyalty is from, like, the ‘60s and ’70s. But this idea that Dame owes Portland anything is total nonsense."

Lillard's trade request came a year after he signed a two-year max extension, putting him on a four-year, $176 million deal through the end of the 2026-27 season. There are teams that are wary of trading for Lillard because of the last two seasons of that deal, which are worth $58 million and $63 million, respectively, ESPN reported.

While the Heat are the favorite to land Lillard if the Trail Blazers move him, it might not come in the form of a traditional two-team swap. Teams have stated they would be willing to trade a first-round pick in order to get Herro and help facilitate a three-team trade that would help the Blazers honor Lillard's specific request, according to ESPN.

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But even with a three-team deal as a possibility, McIntyre is skeptical that the Blazers can get a return similar to what the Utah Jazz got for trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last offseason.

"You look at least year and the haul they would've got for Lillard would've been massive," McIntyre said. "The trades we're hearing now are like, ‘Well, Milwaukee’s got an out. Miami [can say] we've got Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin and a couple of picks for you. … You look around a bit more and there's Philly, but it would have to lose [Tyrese] Maxey and James Harden in a three-team deal and one of the funny lines you hear in the NBA is that if you have a three-team deal, you have a no-team deal because they're almost impossible to pull off.

"So, you look around at possible landing spots for Dame and you say, ‘Where is he going?’ There's a chance that there are no takers."

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