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According to the latest rumors, the Miami Heat are in contention to land Damian Lillard now that he wants out of the Portland Trail Blazers.
But even though Lillard apparently wants to go to Miami and they definitely want him as well, a deal hasn’t been made.
Insider Wes Goldberg says one of the biggest issues in any package for Lillard is the inclusion of Caleb Martin.
“I have been told the Heat would prefer to keep Caleb Martin. They view him as an important part of a championship contender,” Goldberg recently said on Locked On Heat.
“A real sticking point in negotiations could be the inclusion of Caleb Martin… I have been told the Heat would prefer to keep Martin. They view him as an important part of a championship contender.”
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— Locked On Heat (@LockedOnHeat) July 4, 2023
There is no doubt that the Heat want Lillard and have possibly been preparing for this moment for months now.
But they are not willing to give up too much to get him.
Martin is a great player who has been used more and more by the team.
He is known for his strong shooting percentage and his role-playing abilities.
That sounds an awful lot like a couple of players the Heat already lost: Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.
The Heat don’t want to make the mistake of giving up too many powerful players in order to land Lillard.
One of the reasons they were able to get so far in the postseason this year is that they have built a deep and reliable roster full of strong starters and bench players.
If they deplete that, they won’t have success even if Lillard comes over.
Martin’s stat line might not be eye-popping (9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 2022-23) but he has become a vital part of the Heat’s culture.
If push comes to shove, will they ship him away in order to sign Lillard?
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