For the Portland Trail Blazers to get back to contending, they’re going to need to make some changes. It’s always painful for teammates, front office members, and fans to say goodbye to players that they’ve grown connected to, but if the goal is to win a title with Damian Lillard, change is on the horizon.
To become a contender, there are two paths to pursue: the team can go all-in on various stars like Karl-Anthony Towns, Pascal Siakam, Bradley Beal, or any of the other rumored names that could seek a trade, or it could choose to get a number of role players to support a singular star in Lillard.
Either of these is more palatable than the chants to blow up the team’s core.
With those stars hard to acquire and convince to sign a long-term deal in Portland, the smarter option may be to get a handful of quality role players who can support Lillard in his quest. To get these types of packages, the team will need to use some of its best assets and get off of some troublesome salary.
The package that this article works with includes two of the Blazers’ best assets and one of their worst from a pure value perspective. On one hand, a top-7 lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft is worth a great deal, along with a young, team-controlled lead guard in Anfernee Simons.
On the other hand, while Jusuf Nurkic can still start for an NBA team, he is a sieve on defense and isn’t a great center to build around.
With this package, and some slight variations, here are five trades that the Blazers could pursue to get the role players they need to contend for a title.
Trade #1:
If the Blazers are going to retool their roster around Damian Lillard, they need more of a defensive focus. That has to come from everyone except Lillard, as he will carry such a heavy load on offense that the rest of the team must be full of stoppers at each position to compensate.
Giving up a young potential star and a top lottery pick should only be done to get a potential defensive game changer, which is exactly what Nic Claxton has become this season. He’s a massive presence in size and skill, as he can block shots, control the defensive glass, and solidify a spot of weakness for the team.
The rest of the package is full of players who can support Claxton and create a sturdy defensive backbone. Finney-Smith is a legitimate three-and-D forward who can slot in next to Jerami Grant and create a more-than-competent frontcourt next to their new center.
Royce O’Neale is a solid defender who has enough shake and pop on offense to earn a solid role on the floor.
The swing piece is Cam Thomas, as he’s fallen out of the regular Brooklyn rotation, despite his prodigious scoring talents. Nabbing him shouldn’t be too hard, as the team would swap him for a more polished product in Simons.
For a Blazers team that will have a lean bench, however, acquiring Thomas and the other role players will give it an immediate spark off of the pine to stabilize the offense when Lillard sits.
Trade #2:
Instead of targeting a defensive anchor in the middle, what about a dynamite wing stopper? It’s only becoming more common for wing-sized players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum to play a main role on an NBA offense, and having one of the few players in the league who can match up defensively could flip the switch for the Trail Blazers.
The New Orleans Pelicans just had a disappointing season of their own, missing the playoffs and having to slog through a season without Zion Williamson at full strength. Since he can’t be relied upon for good health, the team could benefit from a top lottery prospect to develop and a young scorer like Simons to pace the offense.
The Blazers would get both a better starting center for their defensive foundations and a certified shutdown player on the wing in Herb Jones. Jones has only been in the NBA for a few years, but he’s already become the team’s go-to option to slow down opposing star players, no matter how hard the matchup is on paper.
Although it’s hard to predict whether any of the fliers taken on role players Kira Lewis, Larry Nance Jr., or Garrett Temple will factor into the bench rotation, the Blazers will at least leave this trade with a better starting core around Lillard that is built to help him and the entire team to win in the playoffs.
Trade #3:
After four straight years of injured disappointment at the behest of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers will likely look to retool their roster around their snake-bitten stars to stay in the upper echelon of title contention.
They have significant needs at center and point guard, both of which are slots the Blazers could offer to fill.
Cutting down on the bigger salaries on the team while acquiring two starter level players in Simons and Nurkic could be the breath of fresh air that it needs to best support its star wings. Similarly, the Blazers are in desperate need of wings that can move the winning needle for them, which the Clippers have in spades.
Nabbing Ivica Zubac is a great way to get more of a traditional center who can guard the rim and set hard screens for the team. Alongside his addition, having three new wings who can play next to Lillard in a variety of lineups is a great boon.
Plus, it’s always fun to have a reunion acquisition like Normal Powell or Nic Batum.
Putting Powell next to Lillard, Sharpe, Grant, and Zubac would give Portland a stout defensive lineup that has enough shooters to keep up the offensive efficiency. With Mann and Batum ready to buoy the bench as well, this trade with a Western Conference rival could propel the Blazers right back into title contention next year.
Trade #4:
Armed with two lottery picks, the reigning Rookie of the Year, and a high-upside wing in Franz Wagner, the Orlando Magic look primed to take a leap next season if they trade in some of their valuable assets and push for the playoffs.
Luckily, they need a point guard who both fits their timeline and creates offense for himself, which is what the Blazers have in Simons.
Moving him to Orlando alongside Nurkic would give the Magic one of the most potent young offenses in the league, while giving the Blazers the type of gritty talent they need to compete in the West. The team would trade out two offensive-minded players at point guard and center for two defensive-oriented players, alongside a boom-or-bust flier on a potential all-league defender.
Wendell Carter Jr. is one of the more underrated players in the league, as he can hit shots from deep, finish inside, and control the defense as a solid rim protector. Despite his offensive deficiencies, Markelle Fultz is a wholly worthy bench guard who can make flashy dunks and hound opposing ball-handlers for an entire game.
The swing piece here is Isaac as, if healthy, he could give the Blazers the skeleton-key defender that the team has craved for years. Putting all three of these rugged defenders on the Blazers could lead to the team vaulting into the top part of the league in defensive efficiency and turn it into a dark horse title contender.
Trade #5:
While the San Antonio Spurs are deep into their rebuild, they don’t quite have the assets to be able to pry a valuable lottery pick from the Blazers in a draft class like this. Instead, the team can take more of a step forward in its rebuild while keeping its best young prospects and adding at a position of need.
Giving Simons the freedom to run the offense with Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Malaki Branham could give San Antonio a great future core of young guards and wings to lead them to the playoffs in a few years. Nurkic could slot in nicely as the veteran tone-setter who also fills a massive hole in the middle for the Spurs.
In exchange, the Blazers would get a young wing with real upside and current production in Keldon Johnson. Johnson showed enough creation with the ball in his hands, shot-making ability, and dogged defending to be a perfect co-star for Lillard.
If he develops enough, he may even be a fringe all-star if the Blazers are a top title contender.
Role players like Devonte’ Graham and Zach Collins fill some of Portland’s other holes as well, as bringing Collins back now that he is healthy gives the team a stout center to build its defense around. Graham’s bench scoring could solidify the back of the rotation for the Blazers and help them put together a team that might just be able to contend around Dame.