Portland Trail Blazers: 3 Lakers who could end up in Portland next season

Portland Trail Blazers Lakers target No. 1 – Avery Bradley

After a somewhat successful seven year stint with Boston, Bradley spent the last few seasons bouncing the league around before landing with the Lakers last summer. Although he opted out of the Bubble due to family obligations, he contributed greatly to the Lakers’ regular season efforts.

Known for being one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, his Bubble absence initially sparked concern about Los Angeles’ playoff hopes, as teams like the Trail Blazers and the Rockets seemed poised to take advantage of guard mismatches.

While the Lakers did just fine without Bradley, his presence may have resulted in multiple sweeps throughout the postseason. A two time NBA All-Defensive selection, Bradley has a way of seemingly choking the will out of his opponents. Through his intense pressure, players will often fumble the ball before he’s even gone in for the steal. He simply has a knack for causing disruption, throwing off even the most poised of offensive players.

A consistent issue in Portland’s roster over the last several years has been a lack of high quality perimeter defense. While Damian Lillard has shown improvement in this department, McCollum continues to be a subpar defender, and neither will leave a legacy on this side of their game.

Bradley would have to accept an off-the-bench role in Portland, but one that could see him earning a consistent spot in their rotation.

Because of his ability to play both the point and shooting guard positions, Bradley could reliably offer McCollum a break at the two, while also being able to serve as the bench’s floor general when Lillard takes a breather.