The Portland Trail Blazers are a hot commodity in the rumor mill right now. On one hand, they have a superstar guard in Damian Lillard that is doing a media tour hinting he might be traded. On the other, teams are scrambling to leak their interest in a top-3 pick.
We discussed earlier this week the possibility that the Blazers could work out a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans directly, sending the No. 3 pick and receiving All-Star forward Brandon Ingram in return. While that’s absolutely still on the table as an option, the other route is for the Blazers and Pelicans to be a part of a three-team deal.
Could the Blazers work out a three-team trade?
If the Pelicans want to hold onto their two stars, the Blazers may not be interested in the exact package of other players and picks that the Pels are offering – or similarly, if the Pelicans don’t want what the Blazers are sending back. In that case, another path is to include a third team, who can facilitate getting the key asset (the No. 3 pick) to its destination.
Our sister site Wiz of Awes recently put together such a deal that would see the Washington Wizards step in and help get the deal done. Let’s see what they proposed, and then discuss why it might be an exciting path forward for the Trail Blazers.
Laying out the three-team proposal with the Wizards and Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans have CJ McCollum under contract for multiple seasons, and the Trail Blazers don’t want him back; they’ve tried the Dame-CJ backcourt and it doesn’t allow for contention. Yet when you add in that the Pelicans are trying to trade for Scoot Henderson, it follows that they won’t want Anfernee Simons back in a trade.
It’s possible that the Blazers and Pels could work out a construction with Jusuf Nurkic, but it would be hard for the Blazers to get back enough to make it worth their while without more salary involved. That’s where the Wizards come in, taking in Simons and contributing to the package heading to Portland.
Here’s what Wiz of Awes came up with:
The New Orleans Pelicans make this trade to get Scoot, who looks like a future All-Star point guard and fits a major need for the Pels. This construction allows them to keep all three of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, instead sending out Herb Jones, this year’s No. 14 pick and a first next season.
For the Wizards, they contribute a pair of forwards to the package, including Kyle Kuzma in a sign-and-trade to Portland. They get to add Simons to the young core they will be assembling as they start their rebuild, giving them flexibility in the kind of player they get back in a Bradley Beal trade.
Should the Blazers be excited about this deal?
The Blazers should love this trade
In other trades involving the No. 3 pick, the Portland Trail Blazers would get back a star player. That’s rightfully what they should be pursuing, as it represents a chance to build something of a “Big 3” with Jerami Grant and Lillard.
Yet even if they do so, they will have depth questions, and it’s no guarantee another team is offering a star on the market.
What this deal would do is completely revamp the Blazers’ depth. They have been one of the league’s best teams at drafting and evaluating backcourt players, but their forward depth continues to be lacking. This trade would solve that issue.
Kuzma can pair with Grant as an incredibly solid 2-3 punch on offense, and Kuzma is a good defender who won’t be a target. Avdija is an excellent perimeter defender, while Jones is absolutely elite. That trio would give Portland starters and bench options at both spots.
The draft picks also allow the Blazers to continue adding low-cost players and hedge toward the future. They could draft a player like Dereck Lively II at No. 14 or attach one of the picks to Nurkic to upgrade at center.
Generally, teams should be looking to trade lesser players together to get a star; trade your quarters for a dollar, since stars are hard to get. The Blazers have a superstar in Lillard, however, and Grant is a good bet to re-sign.
You only trade your dollar for quarters if you get five of them; that’s what the Blazers are doing here.
Portland can roll out a starting group of Lillard, Jones, Kuzma, Grant and center-to-be-named later, with plenty of depth behind and draft picks to go out and continue upgrading. That’s the kind of roster that can convince Lillard to stick around and push for the playoffs.