Damian Lillard: If I was commissioner, I'd make it mandatory for every team to have two vets, like Miami has Udonis Haslem

Damian Lillard on the sense of entitlement of players within the NBA… “I would say entitled is the right word. But I don’t think it’s necessarily [the players’] fault alone. It’s the culture that’s being created…We talk about Victor Wembanyama like he’s the greatest prospect ever across sports. It’s like, okay, when he comes in, what do you think he’s going to expect? Whether he believes it or not, this is what everybody is saying he is before he even touches the floor. You don’t have a choice. He’s the guy. He’s a franchise player…It takes away that fight that you got to have to earn your stripes and earn what’s given to you. When you don’t have to go through that process, it ends up kind of hurting some people because then you just expect things to happen.” -via YouTube / June 7, 2023

Here are the best possible trade offers each of these teams could make in the event Lillard becomes available. Miami Heat: The Heat could make a reasonable offer for Lillard but it may be the weakest among the teams from his rumored group. The most significant piece of their offer would include Tyler Herro, assuming the goal is to unite Lillard with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Portland’s valuation of Herro would be paramount if they were to accept Miami’s trade package over other teams. Other players of value the Heat could include are Caleb Martin, who had a breakout in this year’s playoffs, and recent first-round pick Nikola Jovic. They can also include the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft, as well as their 2028 and 2029 first-round picks. -via HoopsHype / June 7, 2023

The Celtics have two main pathways in a potential trade for Lillard. The first is by moving Jaylen Brown, which would likely only be a consideration for Boston if he doesn’t want to extend with them. Lillard would be an excellent return for Brown in that scenario and could play off Jayson Tatum offensively. Brown will be eligible to sign a supermax extension this summer projected at five years, $285 million. The other pathway is to trade anything else they can for Lillard to pair him with Tatum and Brown. They could offer a combination of players like Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and restricted free agent Grant Williams through a sign-and-trade. They also can trade a maximum of four first-round picks in 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2030. Even if this package appeals to Portland, fielding Tatum, Brown, and Lillard with each making over $50 million in 2025-26 is untenable for Boston under the new CBA. -via HoopsHype / June 7, 2023

“Everyone knows where U.D. is from,” Adebayo told The Athletic about Haslem’s relationship with his city. “So, him having the opportunity to be 20 years in from a hometown team is unheard of. He’s the first one to write that type of story.” Now, as retirement looms with a transition into a role with Miami’s front office, Haslem, who earned more than $70 million in earnings during his playing career, looks forward to investing more time and resources into his city, whether it’s maintaining a standard of on-court excellence or contributing to matters bigger than basketball. His work in affordable housing, job placement, charity drives and everything in between can be life-saving buffers for locals who identify as Heat fans or strangers who might never be in his orbit. -via The Athletic / June 6, 2023

Months prior to accepting those summit honors, he made another pivot by opening Haslem Housing Venture LLC to pursue reasonable rent in Miami. His housing endeavors culminated in announcing a collaboration with Magellan Housing on Wynwood Works, a 12-story housing development expected to feature 120 mixed-income residential units. Wynwood Works’ units will range from studios to three bedrooms with spaces running between 450 square feet to 1,150 square feet. Amenities are slated to include a fitness center, community space and even a garden. The development’s finances officially closed several weeks ago and the project is expected to break ground by year’s end. -via The Athletic / June 6, 2023

These are the final days of Udonis Haslem’s career, and the soon-to-be 43-year-old veteran is shifting his focus from basketball to social issues in his home state of Florida. Haslem is completely invested in Florida. He grew up in Miami, attended Miami Senior High School and the University of Florida. He’s spent 20 years with the Miami Heat and he’s very protective of what those who don’t live in Florida say about Florida, especially now. As Governor Ron DeSantis prepares his 2024 Presidential bid with a strong stance on the elimination of diversity and inclusion and the elimination of minority- and LGBTQ-based books from the school curriculum, Haslem felt inclined to speak out against those beliefs, stressing that all Floridians do not support DeSantis’s opinions. -via Boston Globe / June 4, 2023