The Lillard to Miami trade can be shaped in a million different ways, but I think this one is perfect.

Dallas Mavericks

Receive: Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons

Lose: Tim Hardaway Jr., JaVale McGee, Richaun Holmes, Maxi Kleber, two 2nd round picks

Mavs need a starting center to fill the gap while Dereck Lively II is developing. Claxton is a great rim-protecting big, thus fitting this role perfectly. In this trade they also don't give up too much, so they can trade Claxton if Lively overtakes him in a couple of years. The reason they get Claxton for cheap is taking on the massive contract of Ben Simmons. Doing this does limit Dallas in what they can do moving forward, having three max contracts on their books, but if Ben can at least exceed in what we know he does well (defense and playmaking/passing) in Dallas, the upside of him on the Mavs is solid. If he gets back to anywhere close to what he was in Philly, the Mavs might just be legit contenders for years to come. We all know why Simmons' contract is one of the worst in the league though, so that's a big gamble for this team.

Brooklyn Nets

Receive: Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, JaVale McGee, 2028 pick swap (from Heat)

Lose: Nic Claxton, Royce O'Neale, Ben Simmons, 2027 first round pick (via PHX)

The Nets get on the Lillard trade to land Tyler Herro. They need a good young guard like him to play next to Mikal Bridges on a high level for a long time. They also get Kyle Lowry, who rounds up this roster pretty decently, so they can be a good team this season, and he's also a big expiring contract. They don't have much incentive for trading Claxton, but they have Noah Clowney, who could fill that void. That's also a part of the price for getting rid of Ben Simmons. Brooklyn has money problems while not being a contender, so the Simmons contract is giving them unneeded problems. Losing Royce O'Neale isn't such a big blow, since they have other good wings like Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith. Some may say the Suns 2027 first rounder is too valuable to trade, but I disagree. The Suns will most likely at least still have Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the team, so the disaster potential is low. I wouldn't be surprised if the 2028 Heat pick swap is more important some years down the line.

Miami Heat

Receive: Damian Lillard, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Lose: Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jacquez Jr., 2027 and 2029 first round picks, 2028 pick swap

The Heat finally acquire Lillard, while also getting Tim Hardaway Jr. to fill their hole at shooting guard that is created with the loss of Tyler Herro. The price they pay is similar to the one rumored across the entire internet. It's also close to the maximum Miami can offer for Dame. The Heat should do everything to get Lillard, but they're currently betting against themselves, so they might be hesitant to add Nikola Jović to an offer like this. This trade would make the Heat one of the favorites to win the title next year though, so they would have to consider even that.

Portland Trail Blazers

Receive: Jarrett Allen, Richaun Holmes, Jaime Jacquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, 2027 and 2029 first round picks (from Heat)

Lose: Damian Lillard

A lot of players have been discussed as centerpieces of a potential Dame trade, but Allen's no doubt up there with the best of them. Pairing Portland's elite core of young guards in Scoot, Simons and Sharpe with a former all-star center in Allen would be perfect for them, especially because Allen is still young and thus not off the Blazers' timeline. In this trade, they also get Jacquez and Highsmith, who can immediately fit on the wing for that young group, as well as two potentially very valuable first rounders from the Heat - just what you want in a Dame trade.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Receive: Maxi Kleber, Royce O'Neale, 2027 first round pick (from Nets via PHX), two 2nd round picks (from Mavs)

Lose: Jarrett Allen

As revealed but some reports, the Cavs are somewhat open to trading Jarrett Allen. That does make sense, since they probably want to put Evan Mobley at the center position in the long-run. Simultaneously, they lack depth at both wing positions. Although they have addressed this already, as far as finding a starting small forward in Max Strus, they still need multiple guys that can guard on defense and not be negatives on offense to really compete for a championship. Royce O'Neale and Maxi Kleber are just that. Both can switch on defense and hit the three at an elite percentage, although Kleber had a down year last season as far as shooting goes. They also get some draft capital to replenish their assets from the Donovan Mitchell trade. This trade would make Cleveland a deep team that could compete next season.