The Miami Heat believed they had a second chance to land Damian Lillard. However, their interest seemed to wane following his current condition.
The future Hall of Famer is signing a three-year, $42 million deal to return to the Portland Trail Blazers. He returns to the franchise that drafted him to the NBA, following a two-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks.
This marks another unsuccessful pursuit from the Heat, who wanted to acquire the star guard’s services to improve their chances of competing for a championship. They first tried in the 2023 offseason when he initially wanted out of Portland, requesting a trade as the organization sent him to the Bucks instead.
However, a league source informed Ashish Mathur of Hoopswire that the Heat didn’t have the same interest in Lillard this time. It was due to the torn Achilles he suffered in the 2025 postseason as he will need the 2025-26 season to fully recover from it.
“Lillard is expected to miss all of next season rehabbing his torn left Achilles tendon. The Heat didn’t want to pay Lillard to rehab and not play, the league source said,” Mathur wrote.
What’s next for Heat after unsuccessful Damian Lillard pursuit
If what the source said is true, then the Heat seemed to have moved on from their interest in Damian Lillard.
They seem to be more accepting of a significant retool towards their roster, understanding that their current core will need more developing before it becomes one worthy of title contention. Adding Lillard only to wait until the 2026-27 season to actually implement him into the offense would’ve limited the team’s potential in the long run.
With Lillard going back to the Trail Blazers, it’s clear that he accepted that he needs to make a full rehab from his torn Achilles and work on returning to his star form. It would not have worked if he joined Miami and the two parties weren’t on the same page.
The Heat continue to progress through the offseason, having made a big addition recently. They acquired Norman Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers, landing a solid scorer who will elevate their offense, which struggled throughout the season and playoffs.
