Should the Portland Trail Blazers Trade for Julius Randle, Nikola Mirotic, or E’Twaun Moore?

E’Twaun Moore

On the surface, E’Twaun Moore seems like a natural fit for the Blazers. We have discussed the team needing a small forward for some time, and Moore is a valuable one. He is an elite shooter, who has surprisingly fallen under the radar. Moore is shooting 41.7% from three-point range this season after shooting 42.5% from deep last season. A starting lineup that includes Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and E’Twaun Moore would be deadly offensively and could simply outscore opponents.

However, there are some major concerns. Portland has struggled at times on the defensive side of the ball, and they need to acquire a small forward that can defend. Moore is by no means a good defender. This season, he has posted a defensive rating of only 110.5, which is worse than every player on Portland’s roster except for Nik Stauskas.

Although Moore has played minutes at small forward for the Pelicans, he is only 6’4″. The Blazers already have an undersized backcourt with Damian Lillard (6’3″) and CJ McCollum (6’4″). Having all three players of those players on the court at the same time would be devasting defensively and even if Moore came off of the bench, he would play with Seth Curry another undersized offensive guard.

Moore is certainly a valuable trade piece. He is an excellent shooter and complementary scorer. However, he is just not a good fit for the Blazers.