Stephen A. Smith Says Heat Should Target Damian Lillard If They Lose to Nuggets in NBA Finals

‘I promise you we wouldn’t be talking about Miami going home in five games.’

Stephen A. Smith has a high-profile target for the Heat should they get sent home in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

On ESPN’s First Take Monday, Smith said the Miami’s top potential acquisition this summer should be Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard, who has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks.

“If the Miami Heat got their hands on Damian Lillard and managed to keep Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler along the way, we might be having a different conversation during these NBA Finals,” Smith said. “I promise you we wouldn’t be talking about Miami going home in five games.”

.@stephenasmith says Miami needs to pursue Damian Lillard if they lose Game 5 tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/LoeWYrUrUv

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 12, 2023

Smith, who has spoken at length on his show about the need for Lillard to move to a major market this offseason, then launched into yet another rant about the Blazers’ star’s future in Portland.

“Let him out of Trail Blazer prison!” Smith said. “Let him go, get some assets … because you’re not going to get marquee-free agents to come to Portland.”

Lillard has two more years left on his contract with the Trail Blazers, but this summer is a particularly pivotal one for the organization, which owns the third pick in next month’s NBA draft coming off a second-straight season missing the playoffs.