Damian Lillard Trade Rumors: Blazers Eye 3rd Team for Heat's Tyler Herro; Nets Linked

With the Miami Heat reportedly set as the front-runners to land Damian Lillard in any potential trade, the Portland Trail Blazers are looking for a third team to take Tyler Herro, who would be at the heart of any package from Miami, according to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

Lillard, 32, submitted a trade request Saturday after 11 seasons in Portland and the Heat are his preferred destination, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

Miami is ready to offer a package centered around Herro, with possibly Duncan Robinson and picks, but it seems like the Blazers aren't too keen on bringing in the former Sixth Man of the Year.

SNY's Ian Begley reported that the Brooklyn Nets have been one of the teams contacted as a possible Herro landing spot.

Herro, 23, has been a key piece of Miami's core the last few years, turning himself into one of the league's more talented young guards and winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2022 during his third professional season.

Despite not being a part of the Heat's unexpected run to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed—having broken his hand in Game 1 of the team's first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks—Herro is coming off the best season of his career.

He averaged 20.1 points per game last season to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 37.8 percent shooting from three-point range in his first year as a starter.

Entering the first year of his four-year, $130 million contract extension, Herro is a vital piece in any deal for Lillard to make the money work for both sides. But for the moment it doesn't seem like he's headed for the Pacific Northwest.

And as beloved as Herro has become over his four years in Miami, the opportunity to land one of the 10 best players in the league is just too good to pass up.

But it doesn't seem like the Blazers are completely sold on adding Herro to their young core of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant.

Brooklyn could be a perfect third team to bring into this scenario considering its bevy of draft capital and young talent that would be attractive to Portland.

Haynes reported that Miami is preferring to keep postseason star Caleb Martin out of trade discussions, especially after already losing starters Gabe Vincent and Max Strus in free agency.

The addition of Lillard would give the Heat perhaps the best trio in the entire league with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo also in the mix.