3 teams that can help the Miami Heat facilitate a Damian Lillard trade

A 1-on-1 trade between the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard is unlikely. Although Lillard wants to go to the Heat, Miami’s prime asset being a guard is one of the reasons talks on a deal have stalled.

However, 23-year-old Tyler Herro is far from a negative asset. Virtually every NBA team could benefit from having him, and that can motivate someone interested to help Miami find a solution and finally land Lillard.

There’s also the fact that the Heat has some other intriguing pieces which could attract interest around the league. At the end of the day, it’s all business and no one will hop in a blockbuster just as a favor.

Scanning the league for potential suitors, we landed on three: the obvious choice, a dark horse and one that may surprise you.

1. Brooklyn Nets

It’s been reported that the Brooklyn Nets could be interested in trading for Tyler Herro. After trading away both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season, they could use a proven 20-point-per-game scorer.

After trading the two superstars, the Nets now have a haul of assets that includes valuable role players and a ton of draft picks. Brooklyn also has Ben Simmons’ contract, which could be used for salary matching purposes in a deal that pairs Herro with breakout star Mikal Bridges. There are several ways in which they could get involved in a Lillard trade.

Here’s how a trade could be framed:

Heat receive: Damian Lillard; 2025 first-round pick (via PHX)

Nets receive: Tyler Herro; Duncan Robinson

Trail Blazers receive: Ben Simmons; Nikola Jovic; Caleb Martin; 2024, 2028 and 2030 first-round picks (via MIA)