With or without Damian Lillard, the 2023-24 Portland Trail Blazers won’t exactly be a must-watch kind of team.
Small-market franchises often struggle to get nationally-televised games.
Add a disgruntled star potentially leaving the team to that mix, and there’s no wonder why the Blazers will only have one national TV game in the upcoming campaign.
Notably, however, the Blazers’ rival chosen for that one game doesn’t seem like a coincidence at all, as it’s slated for their February 27 clash versus the Miami Heat (via Danny Marang).
Unless things change between now and tomorrow – Portland's only scheduled national TV game…
Feb 27th, in Portland – vs Miami.
— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) August 16, 2023
Lillard has been trying to force his way out to South Beach for quite a while now, and the Heat had been adamant about their desire to acquire the multi-time All-Star as well.
The Blazers have reportedly been unimpressed by what the Heat has had to offer, and they don’t seem to have any sort of interest in getting Tyler Herro in the deal.
The NBA also issued a warning about Lillard’s situation, threatening to veto any potential trade if they found out that something odd happened in the negotiations, such as his agent warning other teams against trading for him.
But even despite all those impasses, most analysts believe it’s just a matter of time before Lillard finds his way to the Heat.
And while he’s done more than enough to be considered an icon and a legend in Rip City, you better believe the fans will give him a piece of their mind when he comes back to Moda Center for that game, assuming he’s actually traded.
NEXT: Heat Reporter Shares Latest Update On Damian Lillard Trade Talks
