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Over the past week, the Toronto Raptors have emerged as a surprise favorite to acquire Portland Trail Blazers superstar point guard Damian Lillard. The Lillard trade sweepstakes had previously been fairly quiet since he requested a trade back on July 1. This came as it was reported that the Miami Heat were the only team in serious trade talks for Lillard. However, despite recent developments, NBA insider Landon Buford says that Lillard to Miami is still a done deal.
According to Buford, an NBA source that he spoke with said that the Heat acquiring Lillard has been inevitable for months. Buford’s source said this is because Miami Heat president Pat Riley is known for locking down deals in advance.
The source added that Riley feels that the Heat are on the verge of winning a title after coming off their 2023 NBA Finals run. So, Riley won’t let the opportunity to land Lillard slip away:
“Damian Lillard to Miami has been, an NBA Source tells me, ‘Done for MONTHS,’” Buford said.
“‘Everyone knows it and is just waiting for it to happen. Pat Riley is the king of making deals happen way before they happen. Remember the Juwan Howard deal years ago? Riley believes he’s really close to winning another championship and he won’t stop until he does it! Stay tuned, this situation could bring up the CP3 to the Lakers trade all over again!’”
Lillard could easily still end up in Miami, especially given that he and his agent have made his desire to play for the team publicly known. The superstar point guard would also undoubtedly fit well on a Heat team that lacks scoring and shooting in their backcourt. However, most would probably question why it has taken the Heat so long to land Lillard if the move is truly inevitable.
The longer the Heat wait, the more time they are giving opposing teams to potentially outbid them and sway the Blazers into completing a deal. So, if Lillard to Miami is truly a done deal, the team would likely be better off getting a deal completed as soon as possible.
Lillard, 33, averaged a career-high 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 4.2 3-pointers per game on 46.3% shooting over 58 games last season.
Toronto Raptors reportedly viewed as frontrunners to land Damian Lillard, according to another prominent NBA insider
Landon Buford’s source may believe that Damian Lillard will end up in Miami no matter what. However, this is in direct contrast to the latest report from Andscape's Marc J. Spears.
According to Spears, two NBA executives that he spoke with said that the Toronto Raptors "enter this week as the front-runners" to acquire Lillard.
Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange added that Toronto feels confident that it can outbid Miami:
“By all accounts, the Raptors seem at least reasonably confident they can maneuver their way to the front of the line, past the Miami Heat — Lillard's preferred destination."
Many have speculated that Toronto could offer a package centered around highly coveted two-way wing OG Anunoby and draft compensation. The Blazers are also reportedly interested in the Raptors' 2023 No. 13 pick Gradey Dick. However, it remains to be seen if Portland prefers Toronto’s best offer over Miami’s.
