Woj: Damian Lillard's Agent Told Teams Not to Trade for Blazers PG amid Heat Rumors

Damian Lillard's agent is taking steps to ensure his client ends up at his preferred destination when the Portland Trail Blazers decide to trade the seven-time All-Star.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Aaron Goodwin has warned teams other than the Miami Heat against trading for Lillard because they would be acquiring "an unhappy player."

Goodwin later went on the record about his client's desires when speaking to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson:

Goodwin also said that he told Blazers general manager Joe Cronin to have a "meaningful negotiation" with the Heat.

Wojnarowski noted this is a "time-honored agent maneuver" designed to suppress the trade market for a player to get them to a predetermined destination, but he spoke with general managers who said it "won't impact how they'll proceed" as they explore talks with the Blazers for Lillard.

In the wake of Portland general manager Joe Cronin's confirming on July 1 that Lillard has requested a trade, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported he's "specifically" seeking to play for the Heat.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz would be of interest to Lillard if things don't work out with Miami.

The biggest obstacle that appears to be facing the Heat is a lack of appealing trade assets for the Blazers.

Wojnarowski said earlier this week on SportsCenter (h/t Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports) that Portland is "not impressed" with Miami's offer, particularly because the Blazers aren't interested in Tyler Herro because they already have Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson as backcourt options.

The Heat could always find a third team to include in the deal that would sweeten Portland's return in a potential trade.

Cronin's statement noted the Blazers were "going to do what's best for the team" as they look to build a championship-caliber roster.

Trading a franchise icon like Lillard makes it easy to understand why the Trail Blazers would want to maximize their return, but they made things more difficult for themselves by extending his contract last summer.

Lillard is signed for the next three years and has a $63.2 million player option for the 2026-27 season when he will be 36.

Teams could be more reluctant to give up significant future assets for a player at this stage of Lillard's career and with that contract. Still, he's an incredibly valuable player coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game in 58 starts.