Rip City Project
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Portland Trail Blazers: 3 way too early hypothetical trade deadline deals

By Stevie Cozens

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 28: Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on February 28, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 28: Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on February 28, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Portland Trail Blazers trade #2

Trading again with the Pelicans and sending Rodney Hood out, the Blazers would bring back defensive lockdown option and transition master Lonzo Ball.

Ball still hasn’t developed to the level that had him drafted number three overall in 2018, but he is far from a lost cause.

The Pelicans are all of a sudden, a team that is getting very expensive. With the new-in-town Steven Adams receiving a sizey deal on top of the max money he is owed for this year, and young star Brandon Ingram getting a max of his own, this team is getting pricey.

It’s hard to imagine that this team wants to go deep in the luxury tax, and with the clock ticking on an extension for Lonzo Ball, maybe the Pelicans decide to move him rather than giving him another payday.

The Pelicans will also need to give Zion Williamson a rookie extension within 12 months, so moving Lonzo at this deadline may make more sense than having him leave for nothing.

In Hood, the Pelicans could get a shooter who can play off-ball and pair well with Williamson. The biggest thing that Williamson needs is the spacing that shooters provide. In the six-foot-eight Hood, Williamson could have a two-guard that can attract attention on and off the ball.

The Blazers, in Ball, could get a significant upgrade to their bench and the perfect sixth-man.

Ball is one of the best guard defenders in the league and could pair with either Dame or CJ, depending on when they sit. Because of the extra size he provides at six-foot-six, Gary Trent Jr could also play alongside at the three. Not only would this shore up the bench defense, but it would also give the bench the extra creation it needed.

Ball would need to be paid at the end of the year, but by sending out Hood they could use the money they would spend on him on Ball instead.