3 trade suggestions for the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks

The Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks have both stumbled after promising starts. Here are three trade ideas to help them both.

Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors have been flying fast and furiously — including here at Rip City Project — since Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington and their expiring contracts were said to be available.

While Portland has recovered from a seven-game losing streak to win their last two, they still sit 27th in the league in defensive rating and have a surplus of shooters and a dearth of stoppers. Nurkic and Covington’s contracts and utility make them the most likely to be dealt before the February 10 trade deadline, but it’s realistic to assume that anyone not named Damian Lillard could be included in deals.

Anfernee Simons has been excellent all season and will be due a big increase in pay this summer, and Lillard and CJ McCollum‘s identical skill sets have brought us to the sad inevitability that McCollum will likely also end the season wearing another jersey.

The New York Knicks started this season 5-1, but are just 8-16 since and have fallen to 12th in the Eastern Conference after coming into the season with playoff expectations at the least. They also have a lot of talent overlap, with extra drive-and-dish guards and defensive big men.

Both teams are exceptionally deep as well, making room for plenty of possible exchanges. And the Knicks have six players on their roster with defensive ratings better than the Blazers’ best — Tony Snell at 106.8.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and Portland’s Chauncey Billups have both shuffled their lineups in response to injuries and poor play. Robert Covington and Kemba Walker have been benched in favor of younger and hungrier teammates.

Time is running out for both these teams, so here are three deals they can make to keep themselves out of the Jabari Smith sweepstakes.

And no, none of them include Lillard.