The Portland Trail Blazers shore up their frontline by trading with the New Orleans Pelicans
Why this trade works:
Steven Adams has slowly been edged out of the league as a starter, but his services would be more than welcome on Portland’s bench.
Adams would provide a toughness and interior presence that the Blazers are sorely lacking, particularly off the pine.
If Rip City acquires the Big Kiwi, fans will no longer have to worry when Jusuf Nurkic is in foul trouble or fear that the bench unit will bleed points when the starters need a blow.
When Nurkic has to miss games, Adams will fill in perfectly as a spot starter.
His screening and interior bruising are exactly what Portland needs behind Nurkic. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a solid finisher on the inside either.
As great as Adams is, his fit with the Pelicans new face-of-the-franchise, Zion Williamson, is questionable at best. Zion is obviously best suited as a slasher and bruiser in the paint. With Adams lack of floor spacing, he and Zion spend a lot of time in each other’s ways on offense.
Instead, they can offload Adams and his slightly overpaid contract in return for two young players and a 2nd-round pick. It’s not much, but freeing up that cap space and the paint for Zion is worth it regardless.
The Portland Trail Blazers get their backup point guard from the Sacramento Kings
Why this trade works:
Delon Wright is one of the more underrated backup guards in the league. Many pundits may scrutinize him for his poor percentage from deep, a career 35 percent 3-point shooter.
But Wright brings much more to the table than just below-average floor-spacing. He’s a top-tier athlete, can guard three positions, muscle his way into the paint, and create for others.
Despite never being a full-time starter, Wright averages 3.3 assists per game for his career. Last season, between his stops with the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings, the guard put up 4.4 helpers per contest.
The Blazers need a player in Wright’s exact mold to facilitate for their bench shooters, while playing hard-nosed defense and regularly attacking the cup.
In this trade, the Blazers would ship Derrick Jones Jr. to Sacramento, giving them a year to evaluate the young, lengthy athlete to see if he could fit in with their future plans. On top of that, they add an additional 2nd-round pick in 2022 to add to their chances of landing a steal.
As great as Wright is, the Kings are loaded at the guard position and have no need for a 28-year old vet with how the rest of their roster is constructed.