What Heat Reportedly Were Willing To Give Up For Damian Lillard

Despite Damian Lillard’s initial desires, it doesn’t sound like the star guard was ever very close to landing in Miami.

After requesting a trade out of Portland in the summer, Lillard made it seem like he was only interested in playing in South Beach. But the Milwaukee Bucks — not the Heat — ended up winning the Lillard sweepstakes Wednesday.

In a column published Thursday morning, The Athletic’s Shams Charania detailed the extensive timeline that concluded with Lillard joining forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Within the column, the trusted NBA insider revealed what Pat Riley and company were willing to shell out to acquire the seven-time All-Star.

“For their part, the Heat, league sources say, were prepared in July and August to offer up to three first-round draft picks — with Tyler Herro going to a third team — and multiple second-rounders and swaps along with expiring contracts and 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jović,” Charania wrote. “But the Blazers were disinterested, with each side developing a level of contentiousness.”

Herro evidently was not a big enough centerpiece for the Blazers to strongly consider the Heat as a potential trade partner. According to Charania, Portland asked Miami for either Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo during an initial inquiry.

Speaking of Butler, the star guard didn’t take kindly to the Lillard trade news. Miami’s leader called on the NBA to investigate Milwaukee for potential tampering.