The Miami Heat offered guard Tyler Herro and two first-round picks in a package for Portland Trail Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard, according to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.
Herro, 23, was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Miami. He has become one of the team’s best players over the last few seasons, but it appears that the Heat are willing to move him to complete a deal for Lillard.
During the 2022-23 regular season, Herro averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. He also won the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2021-22 season.
Lillard, a seven-time All-Star, is one of the best guards in the NBA. The Heat have been rumored to be interested in him throughout the offseason, and he would be a great fit on the roster since Miami is in need of a point guard after Gabe Vincent left for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
The seven-time All-NBA selection averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc last season.
The Heat may need to give up more than Herro and two first-round picks in order to get the Blazers to bite on a Lillard deal, especially since the star guard is arguably the greatest player in the franchise’s history.
The Blazers have some leverage in Lillard negotiations since the star guard is under contract beyond the 2023-24 season. Lillard’s deal runs through the 2025-26 season, and he has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
With the NBA regular season approaching quickly, the market for Lillard appears to be heating up. It will be interesting to see if Miami decides to increase its offer for Lillard to entice the Blazers into moving him soon.
The Damian Lillard trade chatter is heating up once again. But this time, the Miami Heat may not be considered the front-runners for the Portland Trail Blazers star.
Last week, there was reportedly a mystery East team hoping to acquire the 7-time All-Star. Now it appears that ESPN’s Marc J. Spears has revealed who that team was — the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors are said to be the “front-runners” in the Lillard trade sweepstakes, with the caveat being that no deal is “imminent” just yet.
Spears also reports that two NBA executives believe that Lillard would be traded before media day, which is October 2 for most teams. The Blazers would potentially face a PR nightmare should Lillard still be on the team for media day.
The Heat offer was initially said to include Tyler Herro and two first-round picks. Miami does not have much else to offer compared to the Raptors, who have several intriguing pieces on their roster.
Toronto has tradable veterans in Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. They also have young talent such as 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and 2023 lottery pick Gradey Dick.
Despite the Raptors having plenty to offer, the question is whether Lillard would actually want to play for the Canadian side. Lillard’s recent social media activity has hinted that he still wants to go to the Heat.
However, the Raptors did pull off a similar move with the Kawhi Leonard trade back in 2019 — and that worked out pretty well for them.
