• The NBA announced the full schedule for the 2023-24 NBA season
• The Portland Trail Blazers only have one nationally televised TNT game this season
• Funnily, the game is against the Miami Heat, the leading suitors for Blazers’ star Damian Lillard
The NBA schedule makers have taken a bold decision by matching up the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers on February 27, after the trade deadline. Given the Damian Lillard links between the franchises, fans think the NBA is purposely trying to set up a Lillard trade to the Heat and capitalize on it with a blockbuster TV matchup.
The Portland Trailblazers' only TNT game next season is vs. the Miami Heat in Portland on February 27th.
That happens to be a few days after the trade deadline.
(h/t @highkin ) pic.twitter.com/VMVsYmucZk
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 17, 2023
One fan joked about the NBA knowing everything.
NBA knows pic.twitter.com/1saEoLlAhF
— Fausi (@thatguyfausi) August 17, 2023
Some fans think Lillard is never getting out of Portland.
bro still finna be in portland LMAOOOO
— 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗼 (@TeezosWrld) August 17, 2023
Fans called the NBA scripted.
such a scripted sport
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) August 17, 2023
The league also haven’t set the 76ers and the Clippers for a matchup until after the deadline, indicating the league wants to see what happens with James Harden before matching them up.
https://twitter.com/AndyJPuente/status/1692272281777508669
Most fans think Miami will fail to acquire Lillard.
The Heat’s actual chances of getting Dame pic.twitter.com/PykmdMaHqb
— Chalkboard (@ChalkboardHQ) August 17, 2023
Fans kept mocking Heat fans trying to force Dame onto their team.
*Tree falls in the Amazon Rain Forest*
Heat fans: “It’s a sign we’re getting Dame”
— Leftist Tears (@TheLeftistTears) August 18, 2023
The NBA tried doing this last season as well, setting up one of Utah’s only national TV games of the season for after the trade deadline, against the Knicks. The prevailing opinion at the time was that Donovan Mitchell was going to be traded to New York before the Cavaliers swooped in, prompting the league to remove Jazz vs. Knicks from their national TV schedule.
Will Damian Lillard End Up On The Heat?
From everything that’s been reported, it seems the Blazers have no interest in dealing Lillard to the Heat. Everyone knows that Miami’s trade package is weak and the Blazers are hoping for a better package. With Lillard’s agitation against any non-Heat move, it may deter other teams from making a run at Dame or even offering the Blazers anything substantial in a trade.
The NBA is clearly rooting for Dame in Miami by setting a relatively instigatory matchup for after the trade deadline. We’re still six months away from February 2024, but this matchup will be kept in mind by most fans around the NBA.
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