Portland’s Lillard lists Heat as appealing choice if he asks for a trade. He hasn’t yet

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard hasn’t revealed whether he intends to ask for a trade. But if he does, the Heat appeals to him.

Appearing on The Last Stand with Showtime’s Brian Custer, Lillard was asked who among the Knicks, Heat, Celtics and Nets would make him say, ‘that’s not too bad.’”

“Miami obviously,” Lillard said. “Miami is the obvious one. And Bam [Adebayo] is my dog. Bam is my dog for real. Miami is the obvious one. Brooklyn is another obvious one, because Mikal Bridges is my dog too.”

But Lillard also said on that podcast that he wants ”to have an opportunity to win in Portland. We got an opportunity, asset-wise, to build a team that can compete. If we can’t do that… then it’s a separate conversation we would have to have.”

Lillard, a seven-time All Star, told reporters on April 9 he’s “not interested” in having the Blazers draft another young player who will likely take multiple years to develop into a strong contributor on a winning team.

“I want a chance to go for it,” Lillard said. “And if the route is to (draft youth), then that’s not my route.”

The Blazers are reportedly considering trade offers for the No. 3 pick in the June 22 NBA Draft, a move that could placate Lillard. But they’ve also worked out players that would be in the mix at No. 3, including guard Scoot Henderson.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported on his Substack last week that neither Lillard nor the Blazers “are ready to move on from each other.”

In an April interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Lillard said ”I ain’t gonna say I’m putting them on the clock, I’m just saying if those things can’t be done, (if) we can’t do something significant like that then we won’t have a chance to compete on that level. Not only will I have a decision to make, but I think the organization will too because at that point, it’s like, ‘Are you gonna go young or are we gonna get something done?’”

Lillard, 32, averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game this past season, shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent on threes. He was third in the league in scoring and 13th in assists at 7.3 per game.

He’s due to make $45.6 million, $48.8 million and $58.5 million over the next three seasons. He has a $63.2 million player option in 2026-27.