How Damian Lillard's Trade Request Affects Heat, 76ers, Nets in NBA Free Agency

And now we wait.

Saturday's news that Damian Lillard has reportedly requested a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers didn't come as a huge surprise after the team drafted Scott Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick rather than trading the selection for an established star.

But it does have the opportunity to shift the balance of power in the NBA. And that, in turn, means that quite a bit of business could be put on hold until there is some resolution on both Lillard and James Harden's future, another player seeking a trade to a new destination.

In Miami, Philadelphia and Brooklyn in particular, a holding pattern has emerged.

The Heat didn't have much wiggle room in free agency to begin with, as evidenced by Gabe Vincent departing to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers (three years, $33 million) and Max Strus leaving to sign a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team, sign-and-trade transaction that netted the Heat a second-round pick.

Essentially, the Heat now find themselves with all of their eggs in the Lillard basket. Other than the $5 million taxpayer mid-level exception, the Heat can only offer players the veteran minimum. So if they are going to improve this offseason, it's likely going to be via a trade.

The Sixers are in a similar boat.

Unlike the Heat, the Sixers still have the $12.5 million non-taxpayer mid-level to work with, though given the frenzy in day one of free agency, the top targets for such a deal have dwindled. Granted, the team could spread out that money to more than one player.

The Sixers already watched as Shake Milton signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year, $10 million deal and Georges Niang signed with the Cavs on a thee-year, $26 million pact. Neither departure is devastating, though Philly's depth is looking pretty thin at the moment.

But until Harden is traded—and until the Sixers see if they can convince Dame to join forces with Joel Embiid—there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding what this team might look like next season. That, in turn, might make it tougher to convince veteran role players to join in free agency.

So they wait.

And then there's Brooklyn.

Much of the Nets' free agency business came down to sending Joe Harris and his $19.9 million expiring contract to the Detroit Pistons in a trade, which in turn freed up the cap space to sign Cameron Johnson to a four-year, $108 million extension.

Like the Sixers, the Nets only have the $12.5 million non-taxpayer mid-level to work with at this point outside of the veteran minimum.

The bigger question in Brooklyn is whether they might try to pull off some sort of trade to add another star to their ranks. While the Nets have a great cast of supporting players—and Mikal Bridges took an impressive leap last year—they don't have a true leading man.

How appealing would it be for Lillard to go from a Portland team that didn't have a bonafide second star to another team in Brooklyn in a very similar situation?

Yes, players like Bridges, Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, among others, would offer great complementary pieces. But if Lillard's lone goal in leaving his beloved Portland is to win a title, he'll need more help than Brooklyn can currently offer, and the Nets aren't going to get that player in free agency.