"He's very big fish in a very small pond" - Skip Bayless dishes deflating take for Heat fans on Damian Lillard trade rumors

There remains no viable deal done regarding Damian Lillard's trade request out of Portland, especially his preference to land on the Miami Heat, as the 2023-24 regular seasons draw closer each day.

Despite playing 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard is looking for a fresh start with his preferred destination being Miami, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

However, FS1's "Undisputed" host Skip Bayless gave his own perspective on the matter from a different angle.

"I believe deep, deep, down in his heart of hearts, he doesn't really want to be traded out of Portland," Bayless said. "He loves it there. He's got his family there. I'm sure they love living there because I love Portland, because it's really a great place to live, albeit a very small pond and he is a very big fish in a very small pond."

Bayless also added that the Trail Blazers management is not completely sold on letting him go as he is an important piece of the organization.

Additionally, Bayless said that Portland isn't really giving its complete effort on working out a trade for Damian Lillard with the hope that everything will die down.

There are a number of NBA players who have only played for one franchise in their entire careers, and it is yet to be seen if Lillard will follow the same path.

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Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin talks about trading their franchise star

As uncertainty continues regarding Damian Lillard's trade request out of Portland, including his preference to land with the Heat, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin talked about his approach to the situation, as per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

"I think what I've learned more than anything is patience is critical," Cronin said. "Don't be reactive. Don't jump at things just to seemingly solve a problem. I think the teams that have ended up in the most positive situations post-trade have been the ones that have been really diligent in taking their time and not being impulsive.

"So, I think that's how my approach has been with this and will be with this. We're going to be patient. We're going to do what's best for our team. We're going to see how this lands. And if it takes months, it takes months."

In Lillard's 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers, the seven-time All-Star has averaged 25.2 points per game (43.9% shooting, including 37.2% from 3-point range) and 6.7 assists.

Despite posting incredible numbers in his 11th season, the Trail Blazers failed to land a postseason spot.

Whether a deal finally goes through for Lillard's situation, both he and the Trail Blazers organization can have a fresh start moving forward. Be that as it may, it'll be interesting to see if he will either end up wearing a Heat uniform or playing for a completely different team.