Only six days after the Nuggets won the NBA championship, the Suns and Wizards kicked off the 2023 offseason with a bang.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that Phoenix will be acquiring Bradley Beal as part of a blockbuster trade with Washington. The teams have not yet finalized the deal, but the Suns are expected to send Chris Paul and Landry Shamet to the Wizards as well as multiple second-round picks and pick swaps.
Beal, who earned three All-Star selections during his 11-season run in Washington, was able to choose his next team because of the no-trade clause in his supermax contract. The 29-year-old picked the Suns over other contenders, including the Heat, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Miami was reportedly considered a finalist in the Beal sweepstakes, but now the Eastern Conference champions must pivot to another offseason target: Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
TRADE GRADES: Did Suns or Wizards win Bradley Beal deal?
Damian Lillard trade rumors: Heat are focused on Trail Blazers star
Shortly after the news broke that Beal will be heading to Phoenix, Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes noted that Miami is locked in on Lillard. The Heat hold a “genuine belief this could be the offseason the veteran guard seeks a change of scenery,” per Haynes.
As of Sunday, Lillard had not yet requested a trade, and the Trail Blazers hadn’t expressed any interest in a rebuild. NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Friday that Portland is “prepared to package Anfernee Simons with the No. 3 overall pick in a trade to acquire win-now talent” to place alongside Lillard.
However, if the Trail Blazers are unable to execute that kind of deal, Lillard’s feelings could change.
“Damian Lillard wants to win. He wants to win now. He wants to compete for a title,” Haynes said on the “Dan Patrick Show” earlier this month. “I don’t think he believes that taking that pick and keeping it is gonna do them any service in the now. …
“If they keep that pick, whether it’s Scoot [Henderson] or anybody else, I think a serious conversation would be had about potentially parting ways.”
Only adding fuel to the fire, Lillard previously listed Miami as a landing spot in a hypothetical trade scenario. He has a strong connection with Bam Adebayo, who played with Lillard on Team USA.
Ultimately, Lillard will decide whether he stays or leaves. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause like Beal, but the Trail Blazers would likely be willing to work with him on a deal after everything he has done for the franchise.
What would the Heat give up in a Damian Lillard trade?
With Beal off the board, the Heat don’t have a ton of options in terms of acquiring a star. They are extremely limited in free agency, so a big trade makes more sense.
And the Trail Blazers certainly know this. They would be able to set a high bar for their All-NBA guard and force the Heat to throw it all on the table.
Here are some of the assets that could be involved:
- Tyler Herro
- Nikola Jovic
- Duncan Robinson
- 2023 first-round pick
- Future first-round pick
Would a package featuring those pieces be enough? Would the Trail Blazers demand more? And if the Heat have to send additional assets out, would Lillard suddenly be less interested in flying to Florida? That’s partly why Miami was chasing Beal, who had significant control in negotiations and could bring down the asking price.
Those questions are impossible to answer at the moment, though. Again, Lillard hasn’t discussed a trade with Portland’s front office. He could very well be in a Trail Blazers jersey at the start of the 2023-24 season.
But as the NBA has repeatedly shown its fans, things can change quickly. The Heat are hoping that will be exactly what happens.