Damian Lillard lists preferred destinations in hypothetical trade, and Boston wasn't one of them

BOSTON  -- If you love drama, then you likely find the NBA offseason a lot more entertaining than the actual season. The offseason hasn't even arrived, and the drama is already kicking into high gear.

Damian Lillard figures to be a pretty popular fellow in the rumor mill this summer, even though the Portland point guard hasn't actually made a trade request to the Blazers. That doesn't stop the rumor mongers though, and now Lillard has been asked about his preferred destinations -- you know, just in case he does end up asking for a trade.

While the Celtics have been included in the mix for potential landing spots for Lillard if a trade does end up happening, the 7-time All-Star has a few other destinations ahead of Boston on his hypothetical wish list. 

In Lillard's appearance on The Last Stand with Showtime's Brian Custer, the host rattled off the teams that have been mentioned in the currently non-existent Lillard sweepstakes: The Celtics, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, and the Brooklyn Nets. Custer then asked Lillard which of those team's he'd prefer to play for.

"Miami, obviously," Lillard responded with a hearty laugh. "Miami is the obvious one. Bam [Adebayo] is my dog for real, but Miami is an obvious one. Brooklyn is another obvious one because Mikal Bridges is my dog, too.

"Both have capable rosters," Lillard added.

Seemingly everyone in the NBA wants to end up in Miami at some point because of the nice weather and Pat Riley building a contender that is at least in the mix every season. It helps that the Heat are currently in the NBA Finals, tied 1-1 with the Denver Nuggets after an improbable run as the Eastern Conference's eight-seed.

But the Heat probably don't have the assets to pull off a blockbuster for Lillard, who is signed through the 2026-27 season on his supermax deal. The Nets have plenty of assets after trading both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season, and could try to build around Lillard.

While Boston wasn't at the top of Lillard's list, there remains a chance that he could be convinced to come to town if the Blazers and the Celtics can work out a deal. But that is a big "if" from Boston's standpoint, considering it would likely take a massive trade package centered around Jaylen Brown to get a deal done. Trading Brown for an aging point guard, who is set to make upwards of $65 million in the coming years, would shorten the franchise's title window -- not extend it.

It's unknown if there will even be a Lillard sweepstakes this summer, and we don't even know if the Celtics will jump into the fray. But given the NBA offseason is often filled with a whole lot of drama, get ready to hear plenty about Lillard and a potential trade in the coming months.