Damian Lillard Trade Rumors: Blazers Star 'Has Serious Interest in Joining the Heat'

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard "has serious interest in joining" the Miami Heat, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

Although Lillard has yet to explicitly ask for a trade, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported on June 18 that the Heat were optimistic the seven-time All-Star will finally push for an exit from Portland this offseason.

Amick reported Blazers general manager Joe Cronin is planning to meet with Lillard "to discuss the next steps of the roster-building process."

He outlined how Portland re-signing Jerami Grant and signing Draymond Green is a "dream scenario" for Lillard, but the team doesn't have the salary cap space to add Green outright. A sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors would be required.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said June 20 on Get Up the 32-year-old "does not want a youth movement" and "wants the team to upgrade fast and immediately with veteran players that can help him now."

That's why some considered Portland's decision to keep the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and select dynamic guard Scoot Henderson a possible watershed moment in Lillard's tenure.

The pick was one of the most valuable assets in the Trail Blazers' trade arsenal and one that could theoretically be leveraged for a marquee star. They can still turn around and deal Henderson, but it's tough to envision what kind of offers suddenly emerge that weren't on the table leading up to the draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers famously traded Andrew Wiggins after selecting him first overall in 2014, but they drafted Wiggins before they knew LeBron James was planning to return to Northeast Ohio. James' decision represented a fundamental change in Cleveland's priorities.

Portland's aims were the same going into the draft as they were with the event now over. The only change is that the franchise might have less leverage at the negotiating table if trade partners sense an increased level of desperation coming out of the Pacific Northwest.

Maybe Lillard drawing a clear line in the sand changes Cronin's mindset. If the choices are accepting a lesser offer for Henderson-headlined package or losing the greatest player in franchise history, the front office could opt for the former.

Based on how this dynamic is unfolding, it certainly seems as though that fork in the road is quickly approaching.