A 3 trade plan to save the Trail Blazers season, my bid for the GM job

The Portland Trail Blazers add a young, athletic wing to the mix

Why the Trail Blazers do it:

Kelly Oubre Jr. struggled heavily in Golden State’s system, when he was asked to basically be a 3-and-D wing.

Since coming to Charlotte and being handed the reins to the second-unit, Oubre has shined. He’s best off as a secondary creator, who can attack and create offense inside and out for himself and others. His athleticism and handle make it easy for him to threaten the rim, draw multiple defenders, and create open looks from deep for his teammates.

Oubre and Anfernee Simons would make a perfect one-two punch off of the bench, and he obviously has the chops to start if needed.

He also adds another long, athletic wing defender to a roster that desperately needs them.

Why the Hornets do it:

The Hornets are absolutely loaded with athletic forwards and while Oubre has been outstanding for them so far, he’s been more of a luxury than a need.

What they do need, is a center to grow alongside their core, one that’s much better than Mason Plumlee.

Jusuf Nurkic has struggled with consistency this season, but when he’s rolling, it’s hard to find a more impactful center. Still only 27 years old, Nurk is young enough to grow with Charlotte’s core, but offers the playoff experience that the Hornets need.

His knack for passing the ball from the high-post would perfectly fit into the Hornet’s ball-movement philosophy. With Charlotte’s multitude of long defenders, he won’t have to worry about switching as much and can focus on anchoring the paint.

If Charlotte asked for a second-round pick or two, I wouldn’t give them too much push back here.