Latest information on Damian Lillard trade negotiations with the Portland Trail Blazers won’t be welcomed by Miami Heat supporters.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks offered some insight into the latest Damian Lillard trade talks between the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers on the Lowe Post podcast.

“I think the only way we hear more about Dame is if Dame makes it messy,” Marks said. “And I don’t think Damian Lillard – right now – is willing to make it messy in Portland.”

Lowe added that trade talks between the Heat and Blazers have been “nothing” which isn’t a great sign for a deal getting done soon.

“I’ve heard there’s been nothing,” Lowe said. “I mean no meaningful dialogue at all. And more pointedly – I know Brian Windhorst said something about this while I was on break – I just don’t think there’s been another team. If there is, I don’t know about it.”

Both of these reports coincide with what Windhorst recently said as well. The ESPN insider recently revealed that the two sides are not having discussions about a Lillard trade.

This is not a great sign for the Heat’s chances of getting a deal done soon for the seven-time All-NBA selection.

Miami has clearly been eyeing a Lillard deal all offseason, as the team let guard Gabe Vincent sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. The Heat also lost another rotation player when they orchestrated a sign-and-trade to send sharpshooter Max Strus to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There’s no doubt that Lillard would elevate Miami’s roster, but it appears that Portland isn’t sold on the package the Heat can offer for the seven-time All-NBA selection.

Lillard, a seven-time All-Star, averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc last season.

Miami’s best package would likely be centered around guard Tyler Herro, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and one of the team’s last two first-round picks (Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Nikola Jovic). The Heat would also need to part ways with significant draft capital in a Lillard deal.

With neither side looking to budge on its current position, it’s possible that a Lillard deal could drag into the 2023-24 season. Portland isn’t in a rush to trade the All-Star guard since he’s under contract beyond the 2023-24 season.

Heat fans will continue to have to wait and see if a Lillard deal materializes prior to the start of training camp.

 

 

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Lakers add a big man to their bench, agreeing to deal with Christian Wood

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers have agreed to a deal with Christian Wood, putting a bit of an exclamation point at the end of their offseason roster shaping by adding the talented big man. Wood will sign for the veteran’s minimum on a two-year deal with a player option in the second season, according to a person familiar with the situation. If things go according to plan, though, he won’t be exercising it. Wood’s ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end — he averaged 16.6 points on 37.6% shooting from three last season in Dallas — is among the best in the league for players at his position. He’s 6-foot-10 and will turn just 28 at the end of the month, giving the team another player in his prime in free agency to go with signings Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince. The Lakers, in addition to keeping Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, also added former lottery picks Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish on

low-risk free-agency deals. The team has 14 players under contract with three others on two-way deals. Wood has the most complete offensive resume of any of the Lakers’ newcomers. Over the past four seasons, he’s averaged just under 17 points to go with 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 block. He’s done that, though, on three different teams. Wood’s issues — consistency on the defensive end at the top of the list — have pushed him all around the league in his short career. He has played seven different franchises — not counting a season spent in the G League — with only one, Houston, keeping him for multiple seasons. The Lakers, though, could be getting the right player at the right time. With a soft free-agent market that didn’t presumably produce any significant offers, Wood joins a team ready to win with a clear need for a scoring big man off the bench. Role acceptance, which was an issue that helped contribute to that soft market, should be at an all-time high with LeBron James and title hopes in play (while Wood is on a bit of a make-it-or-break-it deal). He should get ample opportunity to showcase his strengths. While he’ll initially be a bench player for the Lakers, Anthony Davis’ injury issues and James’ age should allow for plenty of nights when the Lakers could use a bucket-getter. The Lakers targeted Wood as soon as it became clear he’d potentially be available at the league minimum, with both Davis and coach Darvin Ham having worked with him at previous stops. Still, the questions are real. Wood was unsigned into the first week of September, with the Lakers becoming the latest team trying to put him in the right situation. The risk, at the league minimum salary, is low. The payoff, though, is potentially huge. ©2023 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.