Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in July, in what seems like ages ago. His destination list included just one team – the Miami Heat. The trade has yet to take place, but let’s look at some updates.

An NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Forbes that the market for Lillard wasn’t massive, outside of Miami:

“But if Dame had not said, ‘Miami or nothing,’ where else was Portland really going to go for a deal? Maybe Brooklyn? But where else? There’s not that many teams that are going to give you a bunch of players and picks for a 33-year-old who can’t stay healthy and has a giant contract sitting there.”

It works out for Lillard, as he doesn’t want to play anywhere else besides Miami.

The trade has stalled, however, Marc Spears believes the Damian Lillard trade to the Miami Heat will be completed before the start of training camp, per Bill Oram of The Oregonian.

Dame is a small guard, nearing the end of typical prime years for an NBA player. He’s missed 77 games over the last two NBA seasons. However, Lillard averaged a career-high 32 points per game in the 2022-23 NBA season – also tying a career-high 46% FG.

Damian Lillard is still at the top of his game. He’s the closer the Heat have been missing.