Bradley Beal will be wearing a Phoenix Suns jersey next season after his 11-season association with the Washington Wizards ended with a trade that sent Chris Paul and Landry Shamet to Washington.
The Miami Heat were expected to be favorites in the Beal pursuit until Phoenix emerged in the conversation over the weekend. After missing out on the trade, trusted Heat reporter Ira Winderman has reported that Miami may be preparing for the pursuit of Damian Lillard.
“Now the question is whether Pat Riley and the Heat front office hedged their pursuit of Beal because of a greater focus on potentially landing Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. Asked about the Heat’s approach with Beal, a party familiar with the talks on Sunday told the South Florida Sun Sentinel to ‘think bigger.'”
Lillard is a demonstrably better player than Beal, so Miami’s patience may end up paying off. Unfortunately, if Dame ends up staying in Portland, the Heat won’t have any obvious options they can trade for to be a superstar alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Will Damian Lillard Also Be On The Move?
Beal and Lillard were both drafted in 2012 and have been on the same team for 11 seasons. Beal has been moved and Lillard may be next. The Blazers can either move Lillard to a contending destination or move their No. 3 pick in the 2023 Draft along with Anfernee Simons for a win-now roster.
Dame has proven he can be the primary offensive option on a contending roster, with a partnership with Jimmy Butler making the Heat a massive threat in the West. Lillard has flirted with the idea of joining Miami before. All he needs to do is actually request a trade and tell the Blazers to send him to Miami. He had an incredible season, averaging 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists while being named to an All-NBA team.
We’ll likely know the Blazers’ decision prior to Thursday’s draft. If they move the pick, they’re likely keeping Dame. If they end up drafting someone like Scoot Henderson and not making a win-now trade, we may see Dame leave via trade before free agency starts in July.
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