- Pelicans have the best offer for Lillard with a package of picks and young players
- Lillard has limited leverage with four years left on his deal
- Lillard, Zion, and BI would form powerful trio in New Orleans
As the Portland Trail Blazers wait patiently for a Damian Lillard trade package, the Miami Heat are feeling increasing pressure to find an offer that Portland can accept. With four years left on his deal, Lillard’s leverage is limited and it’ll be up to Heat GM Pat Riley to pry Dame from the Pacific Northwest before the start of training camp.
But the longer this saga drags on, the more likely it is that another team will enter the mix and take a chance on Lillard. According to one former league executive, The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the Pelicans are a viable contender for the superstar guard if they decide to make an offer.
“It would be ironic to trade McCollum and Nance back to Portland since that’s almost certainly what this would entail to create a salary match,” Hollinger wrote. “There is a case to be made for kicking the tires on this, even though it’s not Lillard’s first choice. He’s signed for four more years, so his leverage is fairly limited. And the Pels can create a winning package with their future picks and young players; there is no question they can outbid the rest of the market.”
With a package centered around Larry Nance Jr., CJ McCollum, and multiple draft picks, the Pelicans could put together a compelling offer compared to Miami’s package of Tyler Herro and three first-rounders.
Damian Lillard Could Expand His List Of Teams
As things stand now, Lillard has made it clear that he does not want to play for the Pelicans, or any other team besides the Miami Heat. But as the days turn into weeks following his initial trade request, there is a sense that he may be forced to expand his list of preferred teams before too long.
“Dame was so loyal. Wanted to put himself in a good position… Probably just waited too long,” said Ramona Shelburne on NBA Today. “Question is does it happen during the offseason or do we wait until February… He may even expand his list of teams he’d be willing to go to.”
If Dame does cave and add some more teams, the floodgates will open for Portland and it will put pressure on the Heat to work harder on finding something to send the Blazers.
For now, the Pelicans are still a dark horse in all of this, but they could have a chance to do something big, depending on how this saga plays out.
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