“I’m gonna puke”: Heat fans in shambles after Celtics reportedly become betting favorites to land Damian Lillard

All offseason, the Miami Heat have been the frontrunners to land Damian Lillard. Despite the star guard naming them as his only destination, another team has emerged as the betting favorite to acquire him.

Multiple teams have inquired about Lillard since he requested a trade, but it hasn't mattered. He and his camp have made it clear that the Heat are the only team he will play for. Amidst that, the Boston Celtics have emerged as the favorites to land Lillard.

As expected, the news sent Heat and NBA fans into a frenzy, mainly Miami fans, as the Celtics have been their biggest playoff rivals in recent years.

The Celts swooping in and trading for Lillard would be a tough blow for Heat nation. One fan tweeted:

"I'm gonna puke."

Here are some of the top reactions on X, formerly called Twitter:

Could the Boston Celtics make a move for Damian Lillard?

It might seem unlikely given all the moves they've made this summer, but the Boston Celtics could enter the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. Their roster is filled with sizeable contracts that could get a deal done.

Boston's roster would be completely depleted after a superstar trade, but they'd have the best "big four" in the league. The Celtics made waves earlier this summer when they moved Marcus Smart to bring in Kristaps Porzingis.

The two main contracts the Celtics will need to get a Lillard trade done from a financial standpoint is Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White. That gets them to roughly $40 million, and the Portland Trail Blazers star is owed $45 million in 2024. After that, one or two smaller deals will have to be added.

From Portland's perspective, a deal like that doesn't make much sense, though. They've shown no interest in Tyler Herro, as they don't want to bring in any guards. Acquiring two veterans in a Lillard trade would only create a bigger logjam in their backcourt. The only reason the Blazers should consider something like that is to flip them later in the year for more assets.

Even though the Celtics might have the pieces to create the framework of a trade, it doesn't seem like a spot Lillard would want to end up in. Despite wanting out of Portland, he doesn't want to run and join a superteam. Joining forces with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would be doing just that.

Boston might be the betting favorite, but based on Lillard's comments all summer, the Heat should still be seen as the favorites to acquire him.