Rip City Project
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3 last minute trades to bring Anthony Davis to the Portland Trail Blazers

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 18: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 18, 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 18: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 18, 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers New Orleans Pelicans Julius Randle (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In an expansion of the previously discussed trade opportunity here at Rip City Project, the Portland Trail Blazers could make a bold move in hopes of capitalizing on their window of contention, while also bringing home a former Blazer.

This trade should particularly catch New Orleans’ attention, due to the fact it allows them to turn an already departing player into a legitimate trade asset. Instead of sitting idly by while Julius Randle declines his player option and pursues a bigger deal, the Pelicans can strike while the iron is hot and agree to a sign-and-trade tacked onto the big fish.

If Memphis doesn’t get involved in on this blockbuster trade, CJ McCollum is the next-best player that could be on the block among all of Davis’ suitors. Two combo guards in McCollum and Holiday could create a formidable offensive duo. The less pressure immediately placed on Zion’s shoulders to immediately carry the team, the better.

On paper, Jusuf Nurkic is the perfect type of player to slot in the frontcourt next to Williamson. A genuine rim protector that grabs 4.4 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes will greatly help mitigate concerns about Williamson’s height and ability on defense. Having these pieces around Zion will allow the game to come naturally and play comfortably, focusing on what he excels at while addressing his holes in practice.

Per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the Hornets have reportedly explored the possibility of trading up in this year’s draft, clearly demonstrating they don’t believe the No. 12 overall selection is enough to push the team in the right direction. In the likely event they can’t find a suitable offer to move up, they may be better off by utilizing their pick to unload a negative asset. Attaching the pick to Nic Batum’s awful contract could allow the team to finally get the help Kemba Walker so desperately needs (provided he doesn’t leave in free agency).

Portland instantly revitalizes its entire starting lineup with this daring move. While Davis is an obvious upgrade over any big man the Blazers might strut out on any given night, adding Randle and Batum are also massive improvements heading into next season.

Nurkic likely won’t be ready for active play until a considerable portion of the season has already passed; even then, the recovery timetables of Gordon Hayward and Paul George indicate Nurkic won’t be back to 100 percent until the 2020-21 season. Instead of waiting on Nurkic to heal up, the Portland Trail Blazers may opt to push their chips all-in and capitalize on their title contention window by swapping Nurkic for the healthy and dominant low-post presence in Randle.

Although Batum’s image around the league has been tainted by his massively overpaid status, that doesn’t mean he’s not still a productive player. Batum shot 38.9 percent from deep on over six attempts per game last year; he could provide an actual offensive threat from the wing during the playoffs (something that was sorely missing with Al-Farouq Aminu) while still not being a defensive liability.