Damian Lillard has made it abundantly clear he wants to join the Heat via trade.
As such, the oddsmakers have made Miami the heavy -275 favorites to land him this offseason.
However, the Trail Blazers seem intent on holding out for the best trade package, and it remains to be seen if Lillard actually ends up on the Heat.
With that in mind, DraftKings has handicapped the rest of the field as well. A return to Portland to play his first minute of the 2023-24 season has the second-best odds, but there are some interesting possibilities beyond that.
The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers are listed in the top-5 when it comes to next team odds for Damian Lillard.
Here is a look at the odds for each of those teams to land the star guard:
- Heat -270
- Trail Blazers +550
- Celtics +650
- Clippers +900
- 76ers +1000
The Celtics are already championship contenders and the addition of Lillard may leapfrog them over the Denver Nuggets as the favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA title.
Jayson Tatum is reportedly trying to make it happen behind-the-scenes, though Boston’s odds still aren’t that great at DraftKings.
The Clippers could be in on James Harden, but if they choose to turn their attention to Lillard that could certainly be an intriguing pairing.
The 76ers have MVP Joel Embiid but with Harden’s situation in flux, could use another star to remain in the top tier of the Eastern Conference.
The Nets lead the list of the next tier, as they look to regroup after dismantling their superteam of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden over the past two seasons.
The San Antonio Spurs have also been mentioned during the process as they could get better in a hurry with rookie Victor Wembenyama in the fold.
There has been reporting that Damian Lillard is intent on only playing for the Heat next season, which could scare away teams from trying to acquire him via trade.
But as we know, these sagas often have plenty of twists and turns, and one of the other teams could jump into the fray. Will it be the Celtics, Clippers, 76ers or Nets? A darkhorse?
Here are the rest of the next team odds for Damian Lillard as he looks to depart from Portland:
- Jazz +2000
- Bucks +3000
- Cavaliers +3000
- Pelicans +4000
- Lakers +5000
- Raptors +5000
- Grizzlies +5000
- Knicks +6000
- Bulls +6000
- Hawks +6000
- Wizards +8000
- Warriors +8000
- Mavericks +8000
- Timberwolves +8000
- Thunder +10000
- Magic +10000
- Kings +10000
- Suns +10000
- Rockets +13000
- Nuggets +13000
- Pistons +13000
- Pacers +13000
- Hornets +13000
