In the wake of past trade requests, like those from Durant last season or Anthony Davis in 2019, there are differences borne out of Lillard’s determination to get a trade to Miami. The Los Angeles Lakers and Suns gathered up high draft picks in repeated trips to the lottery and developed those assets into future All-Star players. Miami has missed the playoffs three times in the past 15 seasons, which has made it harder to harvest the requisite package for the kind of blockbuster the Blazers want to negotiate. That’s also the issue for the LA Clippers, who have interest in a Lillard trade, sources said. -via ESPN / July 6, 2023

Small-market teams, like Utah, can’t acquire the likes of Lillard in free agency, but armed with draft picks and developing young players, they can become dangerous lurkers in the trade process. The Jazz made a call to check on Lillard, sources said, but that isn’t a significant development. An offer would be a development. First, the Jazz must consider if Lillard’s timeline at nearly 33 years old makes sense for their young team — and could they acquire him at a reasonable cost to stay flexible for the next young star who becomes available in trades? Lillard probably doesn’t fit for the Jazz, but he will somewhere, sometime. Maybe it’s this summer, maybe it’s the desperation of another team’s bad start to the regular season. Some teams come aggressively for a new available star player. Those with limited assets offer everything with an understanding they’re likely light on what’s needed to make them a viable trade partner. More teams lie in wait, hanging on the edges of the process. They hope a restrained offer, coupled with mild upgrades, can eventually secure them a star. That’s how Toronto landed San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard five summers ago. -via ESPN / July 6, 2023

Portland doesn’t want guard Tyler Herro and the four years and $120 million owed on his extension, but there are teams that have told ESPN they would surrender a good first-round pick to the Blazers — maybe something more — to become a facilitator by taking on Herro in a three-way deal. -via ESPN / July 6, 2023