LAS VEGAS — The notion is more of mystique than reality, of Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin tossing his top chip to the middle of the table at one of the poker rooms here, waiting for Miami Heat president Pat Riley to push his stack all in.
The reality amid the Damian Lillard trade speculation is that while all 30 teams are in Las Vegas for summer league on the UNLV campus, Riley currently is not and is not expected.
Instead, trade talks, even the type the Blazers are conceding are in place regarding Lillard, are more the stuff of spreadsheets and conference calls, with Heat general manager Andy Elisburg, the team’s salary-cap whiz, on the ground in Las Vegas, having checked his oversized abacus.
