NBA Draft lottery took this superstar trade off the table for the Miami Heat
By Wes Goldberg
The Miami Heat didn’t have any pingpong balls in Tuesday’s NBA lottery drawing, but they did have something at stake.
By most insiders’ accounts, this could be an active offseason in the NBA with another shake of the superstar snowglobe. The eyes of many front offices will be trained on the Portland Trail Blazers and, specifically, Damian Lillard. Should Portland fail to sell Lillard on a plan, Lillard could potentially ask out and teams like the Heat would make sense as a trade partner.
But with the Trail Blazers moving up two spots in the draft and landing the third overall pick, the odds of Lillard asking out took a hit. In this draft, the No. 3 pick holds much more value than the No. 5 pick. French phenom Victor Wembanyama will be gone by then, but Portland will have an opportunity to take one of Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, both considered in a tier to themselves.
It’s unlikely that the Trail Blazers will take a rookie with plans on adding that player to the roster. Lillard has made it clear through public comments that he’s not interested in a rebuild, and would prefer to contend next season. With the No. 3 pick holding so much value, Portland could trade that pick for a legitimate co-star that would help the Trail Blazers build that contender and sell Lillard on staying.
Had Portland remained at No. 5 or even dropped, perhaps that trade isn’t available and Lillard at some point asks the front office for a trade. Getting the No. 3 pick doesn’t guarantee anything one way or another, but it does buoy Portland’s chances of keeping their franchise player content.
Which means the chances of a team like the Heat landing Lillard are slimmer now than they were on Monday. Aside from Lillard, it’s worth keeping an eye on situations in Philadelphia (Joel Embiid), Washington (Bradley Beal), Phoenix (Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul) and others, but Lillard would have been a prize.