Does Dame End Up In Miami By All-Star Weekend?
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The burning question right now around the NBA is where Damian Lillard will be going through a trade. It seems like talks have been progressing recently, but, news started to come out about Portland not being “Motivated” to get Lillard because they would only be getting Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson back. They have stated multiple times that they had no interest in this particular package. Now, I could understand this frustration from Portland, they shouldn’t be giving up Dame for something they are unmotivated to get. Rumors of a third team involved started to pick up speed, with rumors of the Spurs, Mavericks, and other teams that were interested in Herro rushed to the table. It seems like Portland was more interested in assets like future first-round picks and not as interested in Herro.
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I don’t understand why Portland wouldn’t want Herro. Herro is one of the many rebuilding pieces you could use, fits their very young timeline, and can also play next to Scoot Henderson in the starting lineup. So I do not understand why Portland wouldn’t want Herro. It makes no sense because he can provide very much of what they are missing and has that playoff experience to get a team in decent standings. However, I guess I’m not seeing what Portland is, and hey, maybe they end up dodging a bullet.
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Dame’s agent was going on a rampage a couple of weeks ago to every team that wasn’t Miami, telling them not to trade for Dame because he would not show up to practice. Teams defiantly got scared by that threat (even though I think it was most definitely a bluff) and did not make a move for Lillard. Lillard is worth a lot more than what Miami could be offering in a deal, however, those deals won’t come to fruition because Lillard wants to be nowhere else but Miami. Dame has told us on more than one occasion that he was not interested in joining a super team. Not only did this Miami Heat team make the finals as an eighth seed, but with a combination of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Kyle Lowery as your sixth man, it kind of looks like a super team. Also, Dame was interested in being traded to Brooklyn too because of the recent reassurance of Mikal Bridges and his breakout year, they could make a pretty good duo as well in Brooklyn. I think I could even come to respect Dame a little bit more if he went to Brooklyn over Miami because at least at that point, you're not running from the grind because they would still have to grind together in Brooklyn.
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Final Thoughts
With all this being said, it’s hard for me to say for sure if Dame will be traded in or before the All-Star break. I see Portland holding firm until they can get a package where they feel they are winning the trade. Giving up Lillard is giving up on their entire franchise, and Portland is not going to give away their franchise players for scraps from the Miami Heat. It wouldn’t make sense for Portland to do that. If Dame wants to join a team that’s not great and not stacked, he should consider the Minnesota Timberwolves. It could be really dangerous for Dame to be there. With Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Jaden McDaniel, it can be one hell of a scenario to run. In this trade, they give up Rudy Gobert, Mike Conolly, and picks.
