Rip City Project
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What would happen if the Trail Blazers traded Hassan Whiteside? A 2K20 experiment

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 23: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks during their game at Moda Center on January 23, 2020 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 (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 23: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks during their game at Moda Center on January 23, 2020 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 (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers
RJ Barrett #9 and Bobby Portis #1 of the New York Knicks look on (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

2. New York Knicks

Attitude problems and controversial statements aside, Marcus Morris has the exact type of skillset the Trail Blazers have been looking for. While Trevor Ariza has shined in his small stint so far, there’s no telling if this is sustainable. It might make sense fetching two quality shooters on the open market instead of letting Whiteside walk for nothing.

Morris is currently leading the Knicks in scoring, dropping 19.6 per game. Even more impressive, he’s doing it whole shooting 43.9 percent from 3-point range, even while taking a career-high 6.1 attempts per game.

On the other hand, Bobby Portis is liable to explode on any given night — seen by the fact he’s scored in the double digits 21 times this year (and exceeding 20 points on four occasions) despite averaging just 9.5 points per game. Portis is a workhorse and just the type of player who would fully embrace Portland’s culture.

If they’re competent (which is a big ‘if’), the Knicks should jump at this offer for no other reason than Hassan is simply the best player involved in this hypothetical trade. When you’re on a collision for your 16th losing season in the last 19 years, you’ve got to find any way you can to sell tickets.

Both Morris and Portis were signed to one-year deals (the latter with a team option), for a blatantly obvious reason. New York whiffed on free agency, so they overpaid role players in hopes of flipping them for assets at the deadline. Well, it doesn’t appear anyone is picking up the phone. The least they could do is add a proven veteran to help mentor the blossoming Mitchell Robinson.

In the 2K world, this move actually panned out quite nicely. The Blazers finished 42-40, three wins above the baseline simulation where no trades were made. Although Rip City would suffer a first-round sweep to the Lakers, both Morris and Portis scored in the double digits and significantly bolster Portland’s depth. Removing Mario Hezonja from the rotation appeared to be addition by subtraction.