Rip City Project
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers: A Potential Trade With Every NBA Team

By Spencer Poole

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after being called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after being called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 30
Next
Portland Trail Blazers
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Indiana Pacers

Why It Makes Sense for the Portland Trail Blazers

Trading for a player as talented as Domantas Sabonis immediately makes Portland one of the top contenders in the western conference. The big man tandem of Jusuf Nurkic and Sabonis would be perhaps the best in the NBA with the added wrinkle of both being dynamic passers with impeccable court vision.

Acquiring Sabonis immediately spikes Portland’s defensive potential. Instead of having to rely on a known defensive liability like Carmelo Anthony to guard the opposing power forward, the Portland Trail Blazers can throw out one of the better defenders in the league who has plenty of experience guarding the league’s best big men.

In the rebounding department, Sabonis provides another glass cleaner to pair alongside Nurkic. His acquisition could be a solution to one of the Blazers’ biggest problems which was guarding the offensive glass. Especially notable in the Lakers series, Portland had trouble boxing out when Los Angeles played larger lineups. As one of the best rebounders in the league on both ends of the court, Sabonis can help alleviate that problem.

Why It Makes Sense for the Indiana Pacers

After getting swept at the hands of the Miami Heat and the firing of longtime head coach Nate McMillan, the Pacers may be looking at a rebuild in their future.

Talks about trading Victor Oladipo have been rampant and without a genuine star Indiana must be wondering if they have the ability to truly contend with their current roster. Trading Sabonis would definitely hurt but it frees up room for their other young big man Myles Turner to thrive with additional minutes.

Hassan Whiteside can replace a lot of Sabonis’ box score production, especially in the rebounding department. A sign and trade somewhere in the range of 13 to 15 million would be key to getting this trade over the line salary cap-wise. This trade would also be ideal for Whiteside, he gets another large contract while at the same time getting another opportunity to play starter-level minutes.

The real meat of this trade for Indiana comes in the form of Nassir Little and two first-round picks. Little looked raw in his first NBA season but the former McDonald’s All-American Game MVP certainly has the potential to blossom into a special player with the right coaching and attention.

If the Pacers want to retool and reload, the two first-round picks help them do just that. Having multiple first-round picks in any given year is always a huge advantage because of the option to either trade up for a top pick or getting two shots at drafting a good prospect in the first round. With this trade, Indiana will have two such drafts with multiple first-rounders and possibly more if they trade Oladipo.