Rip City Project
Fansided

Solving the Trail Blazers’ 4 biggest trade deadline question marks

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 23: Trevor Ariza #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on before the game against the Dallas Mavericks on January 23, 2020 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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 2020 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 23: Trevor Ariza #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on before the game against the Dallas Mavericks on January 23, 2020 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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 2020 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard #0 high-fives Trevor Ariza #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Did the Blazers win or lose the Ariza/Bazemore trade?

  • Win — 2 votes
  • Lose — 1 vote
  • Not sure yet — 3 votes

Ryan Gaskin: I put win, but it really depends on what we do in the future. Bazemore was really, really poor, and I’m not shocked his time in Portland was short. Tolliver too, disappointed, despite his recent resurgence. But this trade isn’t a straight swap. Do I think Ariza is better than Bazemore? Probably. A better fit? Definitely. But is Ariza about to be Portland’s long-term small forward? There’s no way. Ariza will do the job, but has lost a step, so I can’t him being a starter on a winning Blazers team. Whether this trade is a win or a loss will be determined by what the Blazers eventually do with Ariza, in their attempt to reload for next season. On a side-note, two picks did seem a little excessive.

Ryan Mandel: Initially, I saw it as a big loss. However, after considering that Ariza is not a huge downgrade from Bazemore and that we received two healthy bigs in the trade, I was ok with it. I don’t know if we “lost” or “won” the trade, but saving $12.3 million in taxes for a minor downgrade isn’t a bad move.

Isaac Baker: Ariza is an upgrade over Bazemore and Wenyen Gabriel could be a very productive player in the near future. I think the Blazers definitely won this trade.

Stevie Cozens: If they move Ariza later on for a piece that can help this team then great. But giving up two seconds and an expiring for Ariza wasn’t a good idea even if he can be better than Bazemore. This move needs to be evaluated with other moves made at the deadline.

Carson Brown: It appears irrelevant. It feels like a stepping stone to something with more impact. Not a win or a loss until we see what comes next.

Carroll: Now I don’t want to overreact to the result of one game, but Bazemore and Tolliver clearly weren’t working out. Meanwhile, Ariza exploded for 21 points in his debut, perhaps demonstrating all he needed was a change in scenery. It’s a tough pill to swallow sacrificing a pair of second-rounders, but ultimately it wasn’t worth diving head-first into the repeater tax when Portland’s contention window will be wide open next season.