Lauri Markkanen and Cristiano Felicio for Ariza and Simons
The Blazers would love to have a scoring forward next to Jusuf Nurkic to improve the spacing next to Lillard and McCollum.
In Lauri Markkanen, the Blazers would have the perfect power forward to pair with defensive ace Nurkic. Markkanen is a great shooter; he can handle the ball, he can also pass and is no slouch on defense.
The main reason we haven’t seen Markkanen put all these vital skills together on the court, is because of the terrible situation in Chicago. Coaching and front office changes, scheme and play changes. And then a low shot count along with a reduced role on some nights.
The new front office may decide that they want to focus on Coby White, Zach LaVine and their new draft pick. If this is the case, then Neil Olshey and co should swoop in.
Markkanen has just turned 23, and could be a reliable starter or maybe even an All-Star on the next great Blazers team. He is a 50 / 40 / 90 candidate if fit, and has the potential to be one of the most skilled bigs in this game.
Cristiano Felicio isn’t in the Bulls rotation and hasn’t been for a while. The only reason he played any meaningful minutes this season is because of injuries. He has one year and approx $7 million left on his contract and could be cut as soon as he was brought in or used as salary ballast for another trade.
To bring in Markkanen, the Blazers would need to send out their first-round pick with Anfernee Simons alongside Trevor Ariza. With the return of Rodney Hood, this could put Markkanen at the four with Hood at the three, and then have Collins and Trent Jr come off the bench.
Simons will struggle for minutes with the return of Hood and Collins next year. The Blazers will need another guard but it needs to be an off the ball player who doesn’t need the ball in his hands.
Again, the Bulls would be able to use Ariza in their thin wing rotation. He could back up the often injured Porter while providing veteran leadership for a young team. Simons could help the spacing on the second unit, where Kris Dunn and Chandler Hutchison struggle for shooting efficiency.
The Blazers one or two pieces away from being a strong playoff team. They are one forward short and need to address this via trade before next season.