Windhorst: Heat 'In Position to Make Aggressive' Trade amid Damian Lillard Rumors

As the Miami Heat look to even the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, they are also emerging as a team that could make a significant move this offseason.

Appearing on Get Up (starts at 16:25 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted league executives and agents believe the Heat "are in position to make an aggressive move" in a trade.

Even though Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard told Brian Custer on The Last Stand earlier this week he expects to remain in Portland (h/t NBC Sports' Kurt Helin), he also listed the Heat as a team he would hypothetically like to play for if a trade does happen.

Portland has given no indication that it's looking to move on from Lillard. General manager Joe Cronin told reporters at his end-of-season press conference on April 9 that the team's "goal is to get better as soon as possible."

Unless Lillard goes to Blazers management and demands a trade, it seems unlikely they would choose to deal the seven-time All-Star. He's under contract for three more seasons with a player option for 2026-27.

The Heat's run through the postseason may have altered some of their roster plans going forward. They advanced to the NBA Finals despite losing Tyler Herro to a broken hand in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

ESPN's Zach Lowe noted on the May 1 episode of his podcast (starts at 1:00.38 mark) a number of league executives were saying the Heat didn't "miss Tyler Herro as much as people thought they were going to miss Tyler Herro" because of his weaknesses on defense.

Miami gave Herro a four-year, $120 million extension in October that begins next season. Windhorst noted he could be the centerpiece of a trade package by the team, but how is his value at this point if executives around the NBA don't think his absence had a profound impact on the Heat in the playoffs?

Herro's age (23) and shooting ability can help his potential trade value. He's averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the past two seasons and is a 38.3 percent shooter from three-point range in his career.