It's unclear when Damian Lillard decided to leave Portland after so many confusing moves by the team in so many years. According to The Athletic, the seven-time NBA All-Star requested a trade out of "Rip City" and preferred to join the Miami Heat.

Lillard, who turns 33 in August, proved last season that he is still one of the most dominant scorers in the backcourt, as he averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.2 triples at 37.1 percent per game. Considering that he had to cut his ball possession due to coach Chauncey Billups' new system in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign, it's even more admirable for Lillard to explode in the second half of the season, scoring 36.1 points in January and February, including a career-high 71 points against the Houston Rockets on February 26.

This is exactly the ability the Heat need. Though they reached the NBA Finals twice in the past four seasons, the team was held back by their poor offense in both series. They had to count on Jimmy Butler to shoulder the biggest offensive load, including both making plays and scoring buckets. Meanwhile, he had to guard the opponents' ace as the Heat's best defender. That's why Butler's efficiency in individual attacks always went through ups and downs in the NBA Finals.

The Heat managed to knock out the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the playoffs last season because the team's four undrafted players, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson, all made surprising contributions on the court. Even Kyle Lowry had some highlights in a few games.

Now that Vincent left for the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-year, $33 million contract and Strus may join the Cleveland Cavaliers on a four-year, $63 million deal, the Heat are definitely weaker compared with what they were last season. On one hand, they tried to learn from the lesson of signing that five-year, $90 million extension with Robinson and, thus, didn't match the offers for Vincent or Strus. Furthermore, the Heat have very limited cap space, so they must bet on the best.

The Heat have Robinson, Tyler Herro, Lowry and Nikola Jovic to make a package to which they can add some of their future first-round draft picks. They will have to compete with the Brooklyn Nets, who have many more first-rounders to send to the Trail Blazers.

The Heat make a better destination than the Nets for Lillard if he wants to win a ring as a team's top player. The Heat need his firepower and can hide him as a defensive weak link better than most teams thanks to their zone defense. Both Butler and Bam Adebayo are trustworthy ball handlers for Lillard to focus on scoring.

By contrast, the Nets have a younger roster, but it may take them several years to assemble a competitive team for the top layer in the Eastern Conference. They gave Cameron Johnson a four-year, $108 million extension after the free agency began. The 27-year-old 3-point shooter and Mikal Bridges will be the team's core pair for at least two years, during which they may keep them in the play-in tournament or on the edge of the playoffs in the East.