Chris
The Miami Heat’s pursuit of Damian Lillard remains at a standstill, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said the Blazers are looking for the Heat to “scrounge” and provide the best possible trade package for the All-Star guard.
“What the Blazers want, if they’re dealing with one team, if it is Miami or nothing, they want what the Nets got from the Suns [for Kevin Durant], which is the Suns literally scrounging. … They want the Heat to literally scrounge into every nook and cranny and produce everything they possibly can. The Heat don’t feel a need to do that,” Windhorst said on the
Miami has been Lillard’s preferred destination since he requested a trade from Portland in July. No other serious suitors have emerged in negotiations, leading to a standoff that threatens to continue into training camp.
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has been adamant about getting the best possible package for Lillard, making good on his promise from July that the situation could last for “months.”
That said, it’s crunch time for negotiations if the two sides hope to get a deal in place for the start of the regular season. Training camp opens in less than two weeks, and Lillard’s trade request threatens to undermine team building in both Miami and Portland.
Heat players could arrive at camp knowing they could be shipped off at any moment. The development of the Blazers’ young core could be threatened by Lillard’s presence.
Barring another party coming through with the type of offer Portland wants, this might be a situation where it’s better for all parties to find a meeting in the middle and get a trade done.
