This deal is by far the riskiest but also carries the highest potential upside for next year’s Blazers team. Adding two bonafide stars to this already stacked roster of NBA talent would send Portland skyrocketing up power rankings everywhere.
Additionally, this move would reunite Damian Lillard with one of his long time friends in DeMar DeRozan, as the Blazers double dip for stars in pursuit of that championship ring.
The Blazers would have to throw a truck load of assets at the Spurs to get this deal done; Portland does just that by sending three first-round picks, a former first-round pick on his rookie contract, and two valuable players on expiring contracts San Antonio’s way.
This move immediately clears the Spurs’ payroll situation for the future while Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker and Derrick White pave the way for the future. Adding extra assets on top of a talented young core is a recipe for success, so it makes the most sense to dump the pair of stars while they still have significant value in the trade market.
While this trade is bound to look like a win on San Antonio’s end years down the road, what matters to Portland is capitalizing on Lillard’s prime playing days and pushing the throttle full speed ahead in an effort to win a championship.
A starting lineup of Lillard, CJ McCollum, DeRozan, Aldridge and Nurkic is potentially the best in the NBA, and could go down as an all-time great team. Oozing with pure talent and an established chemistry, there’s no way this team could implode even if they don’t comply with the transition to 3-point shooting focused basketball.
Additionally, tossing so many draft picks San Antonio’s way allows the Blazers to keep their promising young core of Collins, Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. all intact. This Portland Trail Blazers team would be very good next year, and for years to come.
With the opportunity seeming more realistic by the day, perhaps the Portland Trail Blazers can leverage a move for one of the best players in their franchise history.