Going All-In for Damian Lillard: Uncertainty for the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat’s pursuit of Damian Lillard is far from guaranteed.Since the Heat’s last attempt to acquire Lillard, circumstances have shifted significantly.
This topic arose following Lillard’s poor performance of 1 for 12 in the Milwaukee Bucks’ recent loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, which he quickly followed up by scoring 41 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s currently averaging 26.2 points on 44.2% shooting this season, suggesting he hasn’t “lost it.”
However, the Bucks are struggling with a 1-5 record, and there are growing speculations about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee, putting the status of the entire roster in jeopardy.
It’s likely the Miami Heat would reconsider a trade for Lillard if the Bucks were open to offers. At 34, Lillard remains capable of scoring over 30 points in a game. For the Heat, pairing him with Jimmy Butler could be an ideal strategy to maximize Butler’s remaining prime years.
This was a primary reason the Heat showed interest in Lillard before he was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to Milwaukee last year.
However, trading for Lillard is complex, with several hurdles that might hinder the Heat’s efforts.
Lillard wouldn’t fetch the same return as he did for Portland last year. What would the Heat be prepared to offer? Would they be willing to part with Tyler Herro? At 10 years younger and nearly $20 million less in salary than Lillard, Herro has been thriving in an off-ball role.
If the Heat include Herro in a trade, what additional costs would be involved? Would they consider sacrificing young talents like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, or Kel’el Ware?
Additionally, there’s the challenge of maintaining roster depth and managing the salary cap. To match Lillard’s salary of $48.7 million, the Heat would need to combine several player contracts, which would significantly reduce their rotation depth.
While they could fill gaps with minimum contracts or promote from their two-way players, this strategy would push them beyond the second luxury tax apron. Is this a risk the Heat would be willing to take for Lillard?
If Lillard were to become available, the Heat would need to at least explore the option, but they’d have to weigh the costs and consequences of a trade carefully. Just because they were interested last year doesn’t mean their motivation remains the same; the situation has evolved.