NBA rumors: The Miami Heat have made it abundantly clear that they want Damian Lillard. For his part, Dame has also already directly expressed his desire to join the Heat. The Portland Trail Blazers, however, just aren’t happy with what Miami has on the table, thereby leading to a lengthy deadlock between all sides.

NBA Rumors Heat Pull Plug on Futile Damian Lillard Chase

At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Heat all of a sudden gave up on their chase for the seven-time All-Star. They definitely want to get this deal done, but you can’t help but ask up to what lengths Miami is willing to go to in order to land Lillard.

According to previous reports, the Heat have already created a trade package centered around former Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro as well as a myriad of future draft picks. Portland does not seem to want Herro, which is why a third team appears to be required in order to facilitate this deal.

When will the Heat say that enough is enough and decide to move on from Damian Lillard?

NBA Rumors: Heat Trade for DeMar DeRozan

Lee Tran of Fadeaway World suggests that this could be forthcoming. Tran believes that instead of Lillard, Miami can now turn its attention to another star that could potentially emerge as the missing piece to its puzzle. This comes in the form of Chicago Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan, who himself has been linked to a handful of trade rumors this summer.

DeRozan, who averaged 24.5 points last season with the Bulls in what was his sixth All-Star year, would significantly boost Miami’s offense. He’s a walking bucket who can score in a multitude of ways, making him a great fit for coach Erik Spoelstra’s system. Could he be the player the Heat have been missing all along?

In exchange for DeRozan, Tran suggests that the Heat send Kyle Lowry, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Nikola Jovic to Chicago. That’s by no means a major haul, but the fact that DeRozan is on an expiring deal gives the Bulls less leverage.

If they end up trading away DeRozan then this would be an indication of Chicago’s willingness to embrace a rebuild. Lowry would be a buyout candidate, but Jaquez and Jovic will potentially fall within the Bulls’ new timeline.

A win-win situation for all parties? Perhaps. Not if you’re Damian Lillard, though.

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