Damian Lillard, Heat Have Mutual Interest

Damian Lillard and the Miami Heat have mutual interest, according to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.  

Lillard is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career after getting waived and stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Lillard, who is expected to miss most of next season because of a torn left Achilles tendon, was slated to make $113 million over the next two seasons.

That amount will now be stretched over the next five seasons.

Lillard wanted to get traded to the Heat when he requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023. However, the Oakland native was traded to the Bucks. 

Lillard has played for the Trail Blazers and Bucks. He has career averages of 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists. 

A top 75 player of all time, Lillard has made nine All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams. He won the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year Award with the Blazers.

Lillard played in 58 games for the Bucks last season. He averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field, 37.6% from beyond the arc and 92.1% from the free-throw line. 

Lillard is close friends with Heat star Bam Adebayo. Miami was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Lillard is “elated” the Bucks waived and stretched him. 

“League sources say Lillard is elated with this decision, as it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star level players, if any, have experienced in league history,” Amick wrote. “In short, he’ll be able to join the contending team of his choosing, either sometime soon or perhaps next summer, without the financial aspect of the decision playing a significant part.

“With Lillard owed $54.1 million for this coming season and $58.4 million in the 2026-27 campaign, there is a salary offset for any team that acquires him during that two-year period. And while the Bucks would surely prefer that Lillard sign for a significant salary as a way to alleviate some of their financial burden, the reality is that he could sign for a minimum-salary deal and still be paid the same amount. That’s a powerful place to be when you’re a future Hall of Famer in your mid-30s who has never won a championship.”