On August 2nd, 2005, the world forever changed. Pat Riley organized a five-team, thirteen-player trade, a signature moment in Miami Heat history, which eventually led them to win their first NBA championship.

This proposal would also be another record-setting blockbuster, potentially involving five teams and 29 players! This trade adds a feather to Lillard's hat, adding to his legacy involvement in a new NBA record-setting trade. He's just not going to Miami. Instead, Dame is off to Moo-Waukee!

Why the Trailblazers do this:

Dame is flying eastbound, but Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe still make up a small backcourt. Now that Dame is heading to Milwaukee and Jrue Holiday limbo-ing at the PDX Airport, it is up to the Trailblazers to finish the deal; they must acquire frontcourt talent, bolstering their bench and supporting their small backcourt. This deal delivers JT Thor, Mark Williams, and their hometown son, Kevin Love.

Why the Heat do this:

Miami lost out on acquiring Damian Lillard. Unfortunately, they must add quality talent to their backcourt to compete for an NBA Championship in 2023-24. Jrue Holiday fits the bill. Additionally, they don't have to give up as much for Jrue. They send one draft pick and Kevin Love to Portland, and the Heat will be back in contention.

Also, by sending talent to Charlotte as part of the Jrue Holiday acquisition, Miami will have the opportunity to reunite the Martin twins.

Why the Hornets do this:

Gabriel Coelho explains it best:

"The selection of Alabama’s Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick and the returns of Ball and Bridges should lead to a better season in Charlotte, but there are still obvious questions about the roster.

Finding a backcourt partner for Ball remains a priority. Rozier is entering his 30s, and former lottery pick James Bouknight hasn’t shown much upside in two seasons, which led them to select Nick Smith Jr. at the end of the first round. But this team should try to be more competitive right now.” But I disagree with Gabriel in assuming Tyler Herro is the answer. Instead, I believe Kyle Lowry is a better match, especially money-wise.

Additionally, this trade replaces the frontcourt talent they’d lose with Drew Eubanks and Orlando Robinson. Trailblazers fans will agree that Eubanks was fun to watch last year. He plays exceptionally hard. Drew lacks some talent typical of starting frontcourt players, but he’ll be an excellent reserve behind Nick Richardson.