Inside Damian Lillard’s Trade Talks for the Trail Blazers

For teams crying out about trading Damian Lillard, the message from the Portland Trail Blazers has been clear: Make your best offer and make your team our preferred trading destination. General Manager Joe Cronin does not plan to run a transfer gate to the Miami Heat and deliver the best Blazers in history to his target team.

The ownership plans to honor Lillard’s request with a trade, but Blazers officials are telling the teams they will only transfer Lillard for the deepest return of assets available. Portland is seeking an all-star slithering package of coveted draft picks and high-profile young players. For the summer, Cronin had the betting market on Miami.

While executing the exit of the greatest player in franchise history, executives who speak to Cronin describe him as devoid of emotion. Business for Lillard, Business for Blazers.

As Cronin explores the broader scene, Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been calling potential business partners and cautioning against trading for his client, team managers told ESPN. Goodwin tells organizations outside of Miami that trading for Lillard trades for an unhappy player. As overlapping continues, this is a reputable agent maneuver to cut offers and clear a path to a predetermined destination.

General managers who spoke with ESPN suggested the pressure wouldn’t affect how they move forward. They’ll have Lillard on a four-year contract, and they think his virtual machine will still play hard and well.

One year ago, Lillard pursued the Blazers on the Supermax stretch and landed a four-year deal worth $176 million — including an annual average of $60 million when he was 35 and 36 years old. This makes it harder for the Blazers to trade Lillard, not easier. Some teams see this extension as a back blight on their hat.

In a perfect world, Portland would want to fulfill Lillard’s desire to play for Miami. Also in a perfect world, Lillard wouldn’t have signed that extension and asked about it a year later. Ultimately, trading a superstar is an imperfect process for a small market franchise. Cronin has made it clear that his loyalty is to the future of the franchise, not its past.

Lillard’s age and huge contract complicate his value, which will likely land somewhere between two great trades for the Phoenix Suns before and after their new collective bargaining agreement. A historic package for Kevin Durant and a much lighter deal for Bradley Beal – it’s a wide range of assets. Bell’s $208 million contract and no-trade clause were unique factors.

As unappealing as the Heat’s prospective package may be for the Blazers, could it top the market? And if they can’t, dare they keep Lillard and wait for the process to finish to see if the offers fluctuate? Brooklyn did not have the Durant deal in July that it had at the February trade deadline.

Miami can offer no more than two first-round picks (2028 and 2030), five-year first-round trades, 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jović and 2023 first-round draft picks Jaime Jacques Jr. . . Because he has just signed his entry-level contract, Jaquez cannot be traded until July 31.

Portland doesn’t want guard Tyler Herro and the four years and $120 million owed on his extension, but teams have told ESPN they’ll hand a good first-round draft pick to the Blazers — maybe something more — to become the facilitator by facing Herro in a three-way deal.

In the wake of previous trade requests, like those made by Durant last season or Anthony Davis in 2019, there are differences stemming from Lillard’s determination to land a deal in Miami. The Los Angeles Lakers and Suns have collected high-quality draft picks on frequent trips to the lottery and developed those assets into future All-Star players. Miami has missed the playoffs three times in the past 15 seasons, making it difficult to get the package needed for the kind of blockbuster the Blazers want to negotiate. This is also the case for the Los Angeles Clippers, which has an interest in the Lillard trade, sources said.

Heat draft picks are usually closer to the end of the first round, so Portland will want a mix of picks and small building blocks like the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans got from Durant and Davis deals: Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to Brooklyn, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball to New York Orleans. Not just picks, but a player like Lauri Markkanen, who was acquired by the Utah Jazz in the Donovan Mitchell trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cronin set out to reveal a raft of players and picks that reflect Lillard’s status as a top 10 player in the world, even if the Blazers don’t get the full set of monster deals for Davis and Durant. Because of this, there is reason to expect a methodical and grinding process that could extend as long as July and August. For the Cronin and the Blazers, the Las Vegas Summer League is a chance to get face-to-face with team executives, separating those who reach out for a routine call on Lillard simply to please an owner or superstar from those who are legitimately eager to get in on the groundwork of negotiating a trade.

Small market teams like Utah can’t afford to get the likes of Lillard in free agency, but armed with options to recruit and develop young players, they can become dangerous spotters in the trade process. Sources said Jazz made a call to check on Lillard, but it’s not a significant development. The show will be a development. First, the Jazz must consider whether Lillard’s schedule at nearly 33 makes sense for their young team — and can they get him at a reasonable cost to stay flexible for the next young star who becomes available in trades?

Maybe Lillard isn’t suited to jazz, but he will somewhere, sometime. Maybe this summer, maybe it’s the desperation of another team’s poor start to the regular season. Some teams are coming in aggressively for a new star player available. Those with limited assets offer everything with the understanding that they are likely to be light on what is needed to make them a viable business partner. More teams are waiting, hanging on the fringes of the operation. They hope that a restrained offer, combined with moderate promotions, will eventually secure a star for them. So Toronto has landed in San Antonio Kawhi Leonard Five Summers ago.