Damian Lillard formally requested a trade on July 2, citing the Miami Heat as his preferred destination. However, with Lillard not holding a no-trade clause, the Blazers have been steadfast in seeking the best deal for the team. This has been a problem for the Heat, who haven’t been wowing the Blazers with their Tyler Herro-centric offers. Meanwhile, Lillard’s agent has reportedly been contacting prospective Lillard suitors and telling them to back off. Reportedly, Aaron Gordon has told teams that they would get an “unhappy” version of Lillard if he was sent to a team other than the Heat.
According to Aaron Fentress of Oregon Live, “The Blazers, according to NBA sources, are seeking in the neighborhood of four first-round picks and two quality players.” This sounds like an equitable package for what they would be giving up in Lillard. Fentress more recently reported that the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat are “pretty close” to finalizing a deal that would send Damian Lillard to South Beach. According to Aaron J. Fentress, Miami has offered three first-round picks, guard Tyler Herro, salary filler, and potentially a young player. However, Paul Pierce isn’t buying the hype.
Paul Pierce Says Lillard Heat Are A First-Round Team
.@Tmac_213 and @paulpierce34 debate how far Miami can go if they get Damian Lillard.
Watch our live show from @bluewirepods on YouTube NOW: https://t.co/XVCZVrUGNh pic.twitter.com/hl1MVPqgJw
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) July 13, 2023
“You put them three together [Butler, Adebayo, Lillard], they won’t make it out the first round,” Pierce declared on the Blue Wire Podcast. “You gotta understand how they got to the championship this year. A lot of this had to do with they depth. A lot of this had to do with they depth and a lot of guys playing way above they pay grade. Caleb, Anthony, these guys were averaging 20 points on Boston. We ain’t seen them do that. Duncan Robinson…To get Dame, they gone. You gonna have to gut that team out. They lost Vincent, Strus, A’ight, what’d Strus do? He was killer. Vincent? 20. Caleb? 20.” Pierce’s cohosts were completely taken by Pierce’s assertions…except he’s completely right. Sure, maybe “first round” is a little over the top, but he’s right.
We know that if the Heat acquire Dame, Tyler Herro is gone. That’s 20 ppg off the board. At least one young player gone as well, that’s another 5 to 10 ppg off the board. All this in a conference with Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. Yes, Miami wants Dame and Dame wants Miami. But Dame wants to win in Miami. Is Lillard minus whatever depth you give up for him really going to win you a championship over Denver, Phoenix, Golden State, or the Lakers? So sure, Paul Pierce is being a little dramatic, but he is absolutely right that a Big Three with no depth cannot win a title.
[via]
The post Paul Pierce Doesn’t Believe Dame Lillard Gets The Miami Heat A Ring appeared first on HotNewHipHop.