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4 players who should be on the Trail Blazers trade deadline wishlist

By Stevie Cozens

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 13: JJ Redick #4 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 13, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 13: JJ Redick #4 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 13, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic is on the table in trades for the Miami Heat. The six-foot-three Slovenian point guard is playing excellent basketball off the Heat bench and could, like Redick, provide the spark the Blazers bench needs. An excellent shooter who can get to the rim and to the line, Dragic has lots of experience on the big stage be it the playoffs or for his native Slovenia.

He is a tough competitor who has played over 750 games in the league. His ability to score and play make for others would be invaluable on the Blazers bench. Dragic has been playing well for the Heat but doesn’t exactly fit with the young core that surrounds new signing Jimmy Butler.

Dragic is on the last year of a five-year deal that is paying him $19 million this year. The Heat are doing well and don’t have to make a trade though, so the Blazers would likely have to give up something of value.

The Heat may like the idea of a defender like Bazemore to pair with their young guards, but they may need to include Nassir Little to get the deal done.

Any team that traded for Dragic would inherit his bird rights, again important for the Blazers as the team becomes more expensive. A guard that can play defense and score in different ways may be a piece that this team would want to re-sign for the next year or two on a team friendly deal.

This Blazers team may not be able to pick and choose when it comes to upgrading, some of the above mentioned options may help them more in the short-term than the long. But if the salary is right and the team can use this to gear up for the future then these deals would make sense too.

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The Blazers bench, rim finishing and forward rotations are all issues. Maybe they can’t fix all these issues in one hit, but the prime years of Lillard and McCollum can’t be wasted. The Blazers time is now, here’s hoping they can get a difference maker as soon as possible.