he NBA on Thursday released its schedule for the 2023/24 season, including the number of nationally-televised games each of its 30 teams will receive. One matchup, taking place in Portland on Feb. 27, raised eyebrows around the league for its timing — and for the possibility that the Trail Blazers‘ opponent that night is currently in a position t acquire its biggest star.
The Blazers and the Miami Heat will meet in a nationally-aired game on TNT less than three weeks after the Feb. 8, 2024 trade deadline — a game that could mark Damian Lillard‘s return to Moda Center, if Portland grants his trade request. And as luck would have it, Lillard‘s top suitor for months has been none other than the Heat, last season’s beaten NBA finalists, on the hunt for a star to take them over the top.
Expectations for the Blazers next season aren’t exactly high, particularly if a Lillard trade comes to fruition. Portland is entering a rebuild centered on its two young guards Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe — and the return in a hypothetical Lillard trade looms large over the franchise’s future chances.
Lillard, Portland’s all-time leading scorer, has made it clear that he only wants to play for the Heat and form a new “Big Three” in Miami with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. The NBA, in turn, has made it clear that Lillard will not hold his current franchise hostage and must be open to playing for other teams.
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