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Brotherly Love in the Blazers Trade Market?

By Dayton Brown

Jan 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) an forward Nerlens Noel (4) in a game against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Raptors won 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) an forward Nerlens Noel (4) in a game against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Raptors won 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Should the Blazers look into a trade or two for a couple of young guns out of one of the east’s hottest teams?

There’s a young team out there with great assets the Portland Trail Blazers can acquire via trade. Young guys with great upside on a team who has historically struggled the last decade. Whom may that be? Well, let’s just say trusting the process might need to make its way to the Rose City.

Last week, Rip City Project’s very own Joe Chambers mentioned this in an article last week. It peaked my interest in those possibilities, so I decided to go more in depth with the ideas and logistics.

Using ESPN’s “Trade Finder,” I plugged in Meyers Leonard and Pat Connaughton for Nerlens Noel. It was successful. Even though the site says there would be no change in wins, I beg to differ. Due to the stockpile of centers on the 76ers roster, Noel only averages 15.8 minutes per game. However, per 36 minutes, Noel averages 16.4 points per game and 9.8 (!!!) rebounds per game. Those are great numbers, especially since Portland will play him a lot more often than 16 minutes a game.
The addition of Noel will help with rim protection when C.J. McCollum or Damian Lillard get blown by, and the added inside scoring/rebounding will provide an anchor down below. I will go into depth about what we give up in return down below.

If Not Noel, Then Maybe Okafor?

The other trade, which would bring Jahlil Okafor to Portland, was also successful. Again, Leonard and Connaughton get shipped to Philadelphia. This time around, the trade finder calculated three more wins for the Blazers.

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Okafor was the third overall pick in 2015, and saw a lot of playing time his rookie season. He played in 53 games, started 48 of those while averaging 30 minutes, 17.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. Even better, he shot over 50%, which is great to see for a center.

Again, due to the amount of centers and breakout season from Joel Embiid, Okafor’s numbers are not as great this season, but still impressive: 11.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG in only 23 MPG (17.5PPG and 7.5RPG Per 36). Oh, and he’s still shooting over 50%. This move would also increase rim protection, as Okafor has the length to disrupt shots and is more athletic than your average center.

Now let’s talk what the Blazers would give up. In both trades, Leonard and Connaughton would leave. Leonard has under performed tremendously (don’t let his 17-point performance in Boston fool you). This comes after the 7’1″ stretch-4 got a new $40 million contract this off season, which would save the team $5 million in cap space. Connaughton is still a prospect who needs more playing time to fully develop. He could earn minutes and flourish on the 76ers, any chance of stardom looks unlikely in Portlad.

Another option to add in the Okafor deal, Ed Davis is a hard-nosed, aggressive player. To me, he’s the people’s champ, but Okafor would add way more value. I would prefer for Portland to give up a first round pick instead of Davis, but if he’s what it takes, then it should be done.

The city of brotherly love seems like a perfect fit. Get a bit younger, save some money, improve the team and start winning games. Portland currently isn’t built to win it all, but a move like this by Neil Olshey could get them one step closer.

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