Getty Caleb Martin of the Miami Heat defends Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Over the years, Miami Heat president Pat Riley has crafted a reputation as one of the game’s ultimate star hunters. It’s a reputation that’s well-earned, given past moves to bring the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry to South Beach.
Those moves have largely paid off, too, resulting in seven trips to the NBA Finals and three championships.
More recently, though, the Godfather has failed to reel in the big fish, coming up short in bids to land Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and, now, Bradley Beal, who looks to be headed to the Valley of the Sun, according to multiple reports. According to The Athletic’s David Aldridge, however, Riley and Co. may have their eyes set on another headliner.
And they’re using their cornerstone player to help convince him that Miami is the place to be.
Wrote Aldridge on June 18: “Miami has clearly prioritized getting Damian Lillard from Portland, with Jimmy Butler a central part of the Heat’s recruiting pitch.”
Were the Miami Heat Eyeing a Dame Lillard Trade All Along?
On paper, Miami seemingly has more assets at its disposal than Phoenix where procuring Beal was concerned. But the three-time All-Star has a no-trade clause in his contract, and it would seem the Heat did not do what it took to convince both the Washington Wizards and Beal that they were the best trade option.
“While Washington wanted the multiple first-rounders the Heat were offering, it didn’t matter; Beal wanted to play in Phoenix. His wife and her family are from California, and KD and Booker are a smidge more potent offensively than Jimmy Buckets and Bam Adebayo,” Aldridge wrote. “The Wizards couldn’t stay in a holding pattern; unwilling to wait on the Heat, they turned to Phoenix.”
That said, it’s also possible that the Heat had Lillard pegged as their top target all along, a notion suggested on June 17 by The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson and Substack’s Marc Stein, and were unwilling to break the bank for their backup plan.
Lillard may be three years older than Beal at 32, but he’s also coming off what was arguably the most productive individual season of his career. In 58 games for the Portland Trail Blazers last season, the seven-time All-Star averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds with an effective field-goal percentage of 56.4.
Beal, meanwhile, logged a 23-5-4 line with an eFG% 55.1 and was even less available for the Wiz, logging a grand total of 50 appearances.
For a Heat team that struggled at times during the regular season to put up points — then saw those struggles return as their Finals bout with the Denver Nuggets progressed — Dame could be the better trade play.
Damian Lillard Finally Looks Ready to Leave Portland
Perhaps more than any player in the Association, Lillard has sacrificed his ability to compete for a title by remaining loyal to the team that drafted him. After 11 years in PDX, though, he hinted that he’d reached a point where he was willing to go where he needs to in order to get his ring.
“If we can’t do something significant like [making considerable roster upgrades], we won’t have a chance to compete on that level,” Lillard told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith in April. “Not only will I have a decision to make, but I think the organization will, too.”
While the Blazers will undoubtedly consult Dame on potential trades and take his opinion into account, he probably doesn’t have the same level of sway in those dealings without a no-trade clause working for him. So, the Heat may have to come out of the gate with a competitive offer to beat out what figures to be a number of other suitors.
Still, getting Lillard on board with the Heat as his best option can only aid in the cause. So, using Butler and whatever other tools they have at their disposal to get him into that headspace could be a difference-maker.
