Damian Lillard Trade Rumors: Celtics' Jayson Tatum Called Blazers Star Amid Heat Buzz

Amid rumors the Miami Heat are Damian Lillard's preferred destination if he gets traded, Jayson Tatum is doing what he can to get the seven-time All-Star interested in playing for the Boston Celtics.

Appearing on the Sports by Northwest podcast with Bill Oram, Andscape's Marc J. Spears said Tatum has called Lillard in an attempt to pitch him on the Celtics.

Spears did note Lillard's focus is "definitely on Miami" as he seeks a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.

Just in case anyone is thinking about Tatum and Lillard linking up in Miami at some point in his career, the 25-year-old quickly dismissed a fan who tried to get him to play for the Heat.

There hasn't been much activity, at least publicly, in recent weeks about a potential Lillard deal. Most of the NBA appears to have taken a break following the draft and free agency.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see talks come back to the forefront when teams report to training camp at the end of September.

In an interview with Spears on Andscape from Aug. 24, Lillard said he has a "lot of love and respect" for the Blazers but he wasn't going to speak on what led to him requesting a trade.

Despite Tatum's best efforts, it doesn't sound like Lillard has given any serious consideration to playing in Boston. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium told The Pat McAfee Show on July 10 the answer is a "resounding no" when the topic of playing for the Celtics or Los Angeles Clippers came up.

If Lillard was only concerned about playing for a team capable of winning a title above anything else, the Celtics would seem to be in a great spot. Tatum and Jaylen Brown are All-Star players in the prime of their careers.

The Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in each of the past two seasons and five times in seven seasons since 2016-17.

Miami has had its own postseason success in recent seasons. It has played in the conference finals three times in the past four seasons with two appearances in the NBA Finals.

The Heat became the second No. 8 seed in league history to reach the NBA Finals last season. They defeated the Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Lillard is a difference-maker for any team he plays for. The 33-year-old averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting in 58 starts for the Blazers last season.