It’s time for Portland and Damian Lillard to pull the plug on this relationship

One of the biggest rumors from the mill today is Damian Lillard’s interest in joining the Miami Heat. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, this news comes out the same day Lillard, and his agent Aaron Goodwin are set to meet with Portland’s front office. It really is impressive how these rumors and meetings sync up so perfectly.

“Lillard indeed has a serious interest in joining the Heat, who would surely love to pair him with Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo,” Amick says. “If it reaches this point — and there’s still an ‘if’ here considering all the times Lillard chose not to ask out before — Lillard’s wishes would matter a great deal because of the enormity of his contract.”

The keyword used more than once in this quote from Amick is ‘if,’ and that could end up being a determining factor of whether this or any Lillard trade happens. Although, it’s more likely Lillard could be dealt now following the 2023 draft, where the Blazers kept the No. 3 overall pick, choosing Scoot Henderson, who many see as the potential replacement for Dame Dolla.

Once Portland decided not to trade the No. 3 pick, it signified a youth movement within the organization. The Blazers could have traded the pick and brought in help for Lillard in return but opted to stand pat. Now Lillard has a decision to make. Does he stay in the Pacific Northwest (which is a great area), or finally ask for the trade that seems to have been inevitable for some time now.

While that sounds simple enough, former Miami Heat point guard Tim Hardaway dumped cold water on those dreaming of a starting lineup featuring Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo. Hardaway has zero faith in the Heat and Blazers coming to terms on a trade for Lillard.

“The Miami Heat are not going to get Damian Lillard.” - Tim Hardaway Sr.

Heat fans probably don’t want to hear that, but Hardaway makes a good point. However, it’s not like we haven’t seen t eams give away players for a bag of Doritos and a bottle of Gatorade. Just look at the Bradley Beal trade last week. No matter how you slice it up, the time has come for Dame to move on if he wants to compete for championships. Portland isn’t making the moves that potential title contenders make in order to compete. It might be time for Lillard to give the Blazers that gentle nudge to do him a solid and get him to a better situation.