Damian Lillard Trade Rumors: No 'Meaningful' Talks Between Heat, Blazers Before Camp

There hasn't been any "meaningful dialogue" of late in regards to the Portland Trail Blazers' attempts to deal seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard, who has requested a trade and reportedly covets a move to the Miami Heat.

"I've heard there's been nothing, I mean, like no meaningful dialogue at all," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on the Lowe Post podcast (h/t Real GM).

ESPN's Bobby Marks, who was on the podcast with Lowe, added: "There have been no conversations. It's been very quiet certainly from the Miami front," Marks said (h/t Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints). "I think the only way we hear more about Dame is if Dame makes it messy. And I don't think Damian Lillard right now is willing to make it messy in Portland."

All signs point to Lillard wanting to go to the defending Eastern Conference champions. He'd be a great fit in Miami while forming a new big three alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and heading to South Florida would give Lillard a much better chance at winning an NBA title, something that has eluded him over his career.

The problem is that the Heat don't seem like good trading partners on paper, with the Blazers notably uninterested in a hypothetical package centered around Tyler Herro.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has also made it very clear that he will wait as long as he needs to in order to find the best possible return.

The clock is ticking at this point. Portland is set to begin training camp soon, and the preseason starts Oct. 10. The regular season gets going Oct. 25 for Portland at the Los Angeles Clippers.