Rip City Project
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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) /
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Royce O’Neale, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Royce O’Neale, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /

Utah Jazz

Why It Makes Sense for the Portland Trail Blazers

This trade is very much about system fit for the Trail Blazers. While the 16th pick and Ariza are both valuable assets, it would be a good investment to flip them both for a long-term solution to Portland’s defensive struggles on the perimeter.

Royce O’Neale is just the man for the job. With two straight seasons in the ranking in the top 11 in defensive box plus-minus, he’s proven himself as a consistent lockdown defender even with a lack of impressive defensive counting stats.

O’Neale isn’t anything special on the offensive end but has molded himself into a rather efficient three-point shooter when called upon. His 3.2 assists per 36 minutes would rank 4th on the Trail Blazers roster, a welcome bump to a team that ranked dead last in assists per game last season.

Georges Niang is another interesting prospect to work with, namely because of his elite long range shooting from the power forward position, something the Blazers are lacking. Using him as a stretch-four off the bench would help to keep opposing teams on their toes while helping with the team’s floor spacing.

Why It Makes Sense for Utah:

The Jazz ranked as a top ten defense last season but where they had trouble was in the scoring department. While O’Neale is one of the best defensive guards in the league, his scoring output hampers an already mediocre offense.

Adding Trevor Ariza brings the Jazz much of the same defensive ability while also getting a scoring boost of nearly five points per 36 minutes. While he is much older, Ariza provides an effective short term solution for replacing O’Neale’s production on one end of the court, while improving on the other end.

By acquiring the 16th pick in the draft the Utah Jazz would have the draft capital to either attempt a trade-up or hand-pick prospects to fill their needs. For a cap-strapped team such as their own, Utah needs as many players on cheap contracts as they can get and there’s no better way to do that than through the draft.