NEW YORK — Tyler Herro would be quite the consolation prize — but at what cost?
It turns out Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who has officially requested a trade from Portland after multiple failed playoff runs, only wants to play for the Miami Heat.
The Nets were linked to Lillard given the superstar guard’s relationship with franchise cornerstone Mikal Bridges, but 32-point-per-game scorer wants to go to a ready made championship contender.
The Heat just lost to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, while the Nets were swept out of the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat, however, don’t have attractive enough assets alone for a Lillard trade, and Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning the Trail Blazers can deal him to any team that has assets Portland desires.
Miami’s best trade package is built around former Sixth Man of the Year Herro, their only two tradeable draft picks in 2028 and 2030, veteran point guard Kyle Lowry and his $21M salary, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, and young players Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jacquez Jr.
The reporting surrounding the Lillard deal suggests the Trail Blazers aren’t interested in a variation of that haul.
Which brings us to the Nets, who are armed with at least eight first-round draft picks they can deal in 2025, 2027 and 2029. Herro is a better player than the Nets have to offer in a deal, but the Nets can help facilitate a deal as a third team to provide Miami with the draft capital needed to coax Portland into a trade.
But at what cost? The Nets aren’t just going to help Miami assemble a superteam in exchange by surrendering draft assets for Herro, who has never made an All-Star appearance but has averaged 20 points per game in each of the past two seasons.
While the Nets are in the market for a perimeter scorer and playmaker to help alleviate the offensive load from Bridges’ shoulders, they would much rather acquire a player of Lillard’s caliber. As a result, the Nets want to be compensated for helping Miami facilitate a deal.
Brooklyn could insist the Heat include 20-year-old big man Nikola Jovic in any deal — but the Trail Blazers could want the English-born forward as part of the haul they get for Lillard. Heat rookie Jaime Jacquez Jr., the 18th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, can also be included in a Lillard deal. Both Jovic and Jacquez Jr. played well in the California Classic between the Heat and Los Angeles Lakers in Sacramento on Monday.
What’s available to Brooklyn largely depends on what players the Trail Blazers want in addition to draft picks to move Lillard to Miami.
What’s clear, however, is Brooklyn is uniquely positioned to benefit even if they lose out on the Lillard sweepstakes. They have re-signed Cam Johnson, agreed in principle to trade both Joe Harris to the Detroit Pistons and Patty Mills to the Houston Rockets in salary-dumping moves, and have also signed reserve guards Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV to one-year deals.
The Nets don’t have any cap space to sign free agents outright but will have their mid-level exception available after moving off of Harris’ and Mills’ combined $26M in salary. Herro would undoubtedly be a roster upgrade if the Nets can acquire him as part of the Lillard deal, but just how much is Brooklyn’s front office willing to give up to help Miami acquire the missing piece to its championship dreams?
Just like the Trail Blazers can ask for the world, so can the Nets. Not the worst place to be, even if you’re missing out on the darling of the deal.
