Explore More
This is not your typical Woj bomb.
Former ESPN radio host Dan Le Batard has accused the network’s current NBA insider of being “bought and paid for” by the Trail Blazers, days after Wojnarowski discussed a potential Portland timeline Friday outlining Lillard’s widely anticipated departure.
“Thank you for bringing up Woj…the Heat know that he’s just agenda-based, shilling, bought and paid for by Portland, it’s embarrassing that Woj is telling people it might be weeks or months on Lillard,” Le Batard said on Monday’s episode of “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.”
“This is the Heat’s position, there are no calls going back and forth.”
Tthe Miami-based sports personality was adamant in describing the Heat’s position in trade talks.
“The offer is [Tyler] Herro and Herro is the best one you are going to get from anybody,” Le Batard said. “He’s better than [Tyrese] Maxey. He is the best you are going to get. You are boxed in, Lillard wants to be with us.”
Dan Le Batard believes Tyler Herro is the best player Portland would get in a trade for Damian Lillard
“Herro is better than Maxey, he’s just whiter than Maxey.”
(Via @LeBatardShow )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 17, 2023Lillard, who has played 11 seasons in Portland and is the Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer, requested a trade on July 2 and has made it clear he only wants to land in South Beach.
Wojnarowski previously reported that Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been fending off trade offers from any team but the Heat.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported the same earlier this month on Twitter.
“I do what I should for my client,” Goodwin said to Jackson. “Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me. It’s a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.”
Wojnarowski said Friday the Lillard trade “could take months, it could take weeks” because Portland wants to receive maximum value in exchange for the seven-time All-Star.
Le Batard, on the other hand, clearly thinks the final offer is on the table from the Heat, and there isn’t constant negotiation and communication between the two teams.
“I think the absence of a real deadline lurking on a Damian Lillard trade — there’s no trade deadline coming, there’s no NBA draft, there’s no July 1 free agency about to start — all those landmarks in the NBA calendar give teams motivation and give teams parameters to get big deals done,” Wojnarowski said.
Damian Lillard trade update via @wojespn:
– Timeline for potential deal still likely to be weeks or months from now.
– Trail Blazers will not rush into what they consider a “bad deal” from the Heat.
– Miami doesn’t want to bid against themselves for Lillard: “They know that… pic.twitter.com/aZHUBb8gPL
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 15, 2023“There’s no rush for either side to be real aggressive in their conversations with each other, and for Portland, they’re motivated to wait this out and continue to see, ‘How do we get the most back for Damian Lillard?’”
Heat insider Greg Sylvande reported Sunday that Miami’s offer to Portland in exchange for Lillard includes Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, Duncan Robinson and a slew of first-round picks.
Lillard has four years and a potential $216 million remaining on the contract that he inked with the Blazers last July.
Through the 2022-23 season, Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and shot 46.3 percent from the field.
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3Bmam9flrGztcCnZLCnmqOus7vWrKKiZZmoeqO71KCfrWWRo7FuvMCim2aen6d6o8WMm6OaspWnwG6wwKdkpZ1dl661rdGdZg%3D%3D