Mailbag: Can the Heat keep Jovic and Jaquez while also trading for Lillard? And more
The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your pressing offseason questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them in to achiang@miamiherald.com.
Tehron: Hi Anthony, do you see a path to a Dame trade where we keep one or both of Jovic and Jaquez. I am completely open with the moving of both if it takes it, but just wanted to know.
Anthony Chiang: While we still don’t know exactly who is part of the Heat’s current offer to the Portland Trail Blazers, here’s my take on this issue.
Every player, except for Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler should be on the table in trade discussions for seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard. But that doesn’t mean the Heat should trade all of its top assets in this potential deal. There has be some sort of line.
At this point, it has been well-documented that Tyler Herro is expected to be at the center of the Heat’s offer for Lillard along with the salary of either Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson and draft picks. Then the Trail Blazers are likely to ask for sweeteners to be added to the Heat’s trade package such as Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
All three are Heat assets on team-friendly salaries, but Martin is the player who can help the most this upcoming season. Jovic is only 20 years old and Jaquez was just drafted by the Heat last month.
If the Heat can complete a trade for Lillard while keeping two players from the Martin, Jovic and Jaquez group, that’s a win for Miami.
Giving up two of those three in a deal would hurt, but it might just be the cost of trading for one of the NBA’s best players. And including all three in a trade for Lillard would be painful.
But hey, to get a star such as Lillard, you usually have to give up stuff that hurts.
@brunogvoltolini: Could this Damian Lillard trade drama last into training camp?
Anthony: There’s no telling how long it will take for this to be resolved. The trade could be announced a minute after this malilbag posts or we could be waiting for months.
But two league sources close to the situation have said they wouldn’t be surprised if the Lillard trade saga drags on for weeks, as the Trail Blazers wait and hope for better trade offers.
The problem is Lillard has made it clear he only wants to play for the Heat, which depresses the market. While the Trail Blazers might not love Miami’s current offer, it’s unclear if any other team has even made an offer for Lillard since he only wants to play for the Heat.
The good news for the Heat is the start of training camp is still three months away. But there’s no doubt that Miami would rather get this deal done sooner rather than later.
@RAlvarez114: Given Dame wants Miami and Miami only, it seems Portland has absolutely zero leverage and negotiating power. Why should Pat Riley improve the initial offer whatsoever? Why include Nikola Jovic or Jaime Jaquez Jr.?
Anthony: Because the longer this goes, the more time you give Lillard to potentially soften his stance.
While Lillard and his representatives have made clear that he only wants to be traded to the Heat, what if he expands his list to three teams after trade discussions between Miami and Portland hypothetically reach an impasse in a few weeks?
Some of this isn’t in the Heat’s control. The Trail Blazers ultimately have to accept the offer. But Miami needs to do everything it can, within reason, to seal the deal and land Lillard before things potentially get weird.
