Damian Lillard wants the Portland Trail Blazers to trade him to the Miami Heat, while James Harden wants the Philadelphia 76ers to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers. With those things being said, one NBA writer has proposed a four-team blockbuster trade.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report is proposing the following four-team trade between the Blazers, Sixers, Clippers and Heat:
Miami Heat Receive: G Damian Lillard, F Marcus Morris Sr.
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G Tyler Herro, F Caleb Martin, F Robert Covington, 2028 and 2029 second-round picks (via Miami Heat)
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: 2027 and 2029 unprotected first-round picks (via Miami Heat), 2028 and 2030 unprotected first-round picks (via Los Angeles Clippers), G Kyle Lowry, F Nic Batum, F Nikola Jović, F Kobe Brown, G Amir Coffey, PG Jason Preston
Lillard has demanded that the Blazers trade him to the Heat. His agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been telling non-Miami teams to not trade for his client. Lillard wants to play with Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Dame is close friends with Adebayo, but Portland and Miami haven’t made any progress on a Lillard trade.
Meanwhile, Harden has opted into his 2023-24 player option and wants the Sixers to trade him to the Clippers. Philadelphia and Los Angeles have had sluggish trade talks on Harden thus far. Like Lillard, Harden doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
Neither Lillard nor Harden is expected to get traded anytime soon. Both the Blazers and Sixers want massive hauls in return for their respective superstars who have requested trades. And since Lillard and Harden are under contract, they would both get fined if they don’t show up next season in the event they are not traded.
The entire NBA world is waiting to see where Lillard and Harden will be playing next season. Most people around the league believe Lillard will eventually get traded to the Heat, but Harden may have to play another year with the Sixers unless the Clippers find a way to acquire the 2017-18 MVP.
More must-reads: