Who deserves blame in Miami Heat failing to trade for Damian Lillard?
By Wes Goldberg
Is Milwaukee’s package (Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and swaps in 2028 and 2030) better than Miami’s reported proposal that included Tyler Herro and two first-round picks?
Noah: Considering the Trail Blazers are starting a rebuild, not a championship push, definitely not. Trading for an aging Jrue Holiday does nothing to add to Portland’s plans. Flipping Holiday to another team will likely only net them a value less than or equal to Tyler Herro. So although Portland thought the Heat were lowballing them, they didn’t do much better with the Bucks.
Alex: I am going to say no. When looking at past trades for stars such as Donovan Mitchell who went for multiple picks and swaps, I expected Portland to take a deal with more draft capital than what they received since they seem to be taking the approach of building through the draft. It is determined to see what the Blazers could get for Holiday, but Miami had two first-round picks on the table, and a possible third first-round pick by flipping Herro to another team.
Azam: I don’t think the offer is better. But keep in mind, we have the full picture of what Milwaukee did give up versus a Miami deal that “included” pieces without the full picture. Would Portland also get Kyle Lowry’s expiring, or Duncan Robinson? Would Nikola Jović or Jamie Jaquez have been part of the deal? If we want to boil it down to Jrue and a first versus Tyler and two firsts, I have a hard time believing a 33-year-old guard off his third consecutive subpar playoff run is a greater asset, though I readily acknowledge Jrue is probably a better on-court player right now due to his excellence on defense.
Stephanie: The Heat’s reported offer of Tyler Herro and two first-round draft picks was not necessarily a better offer than the Bucks. By the time the Bucks draft pick comes around, Giannis will be 34 and Dame might be out of the league by then. Once Giannis and Dame are gone, those Milwaukee picks could be really valuable. Miami, on the other hand, is a destination that will always attract enough talent to stay competitive, so those picks will reflect a team that traditionally wins games. In my opinion, there’s more value in a young player with potential (Herro) than a veteran in the back half of his prime (Holiday).