The word was nearly as instant as Damian Lillard’s trade request from Portland, along with his preference to land with Miami. For the Heat to have acquired Lillard, the Trail Blazers had no interest in keeping Tyler Herro as part of any package for their franchise icon, so any framework including the sweet-scoring Herro would have required a third trade partner.
Lillard, of course, would not join the Heat, and Herro is off to a blistering start with Miami, scoring 26.2 points per game on a career-best 43.2% shooting from distance. But Lillard did exit Portland by way of a three-team blockbuster with the Bucks. The Trail Blazers also saw an opportunity to swipe former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton from the Suns. Phoenix had a known affinity for Grayson Allen, dating back to last season’s trade conversations regarding Jae Crowder with Milwuakee — where Lillard would ultimately drop anchor for this 2023-24 season. So all three teams were able to come to an agreement, thanks to Phoenix’s interest in incorporating former Blazers big Jusuf Nurkić into the Suns’ offense as well.
The summer’s other All-Star trade request, James Harden’s effort to flee Philadelphia, would result in a three-team deal, too. In order to satisfy the Sixers’ benchmark of two first-round picks — plus a pick swap, along with other draft capital and players — asset-strapped Los Angeles needed to rope in Oklahoma City to complete its talks for Harden. At first, the Clippers tried to turn their unprotected 2028 pick into two other future firsts with another third team, league sources told Yahoo Sports. But the Thunder already owning the Clippers’ 2026 unprotected first rounder, thanks to yesteryear’s Paul George blockbuster, allowed Oklahoma City to send that pick — or the lesser of two other selections controlled by the Thunder — off to Philadelphia, while taking back a 2027 pick swap from Los Angeles.
The Clippers needed to bring in Oklahoma City to finalize the deal to acquire James Harden from Philadelphia. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) (MediaNews Group/Pasadena…
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