Ranking 4 lucrative trade packages for Blazers to deal Scoot for a star

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 02: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors drives against Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on January 02, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

4 of 5

Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic. Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images /

Trade No. 2: Portland lands a rising star

The Orlando Magic are a wild card heading into the draft tonight. Armed with the No. 6 and No. 11 picks, they are a threat to trade up or trade down. If they offered a package of 6, 11 and Wendell Carter Jr., Portland likely thinks long and hard about it.

This is another path for the Magic to get up to three to take Scoot, who looks like an excellent fit and the solution to many of their team needs. It’s a painful one, but it involves swapping a player they hit on two years ago to get a player with an even higher upside:

The Magic get to draft Scoot, they get another first-round pick to add a shooting wing, and they will find a way to move forward without Franz Wagner. The deal, pitched by Danny Leroux on an episode of the Dunc’d On podcast, lets the Magic chase MVP upside in Henderson at the expense of two solid starters.

Portland gets an incredibly talented building block at the league’s most important position. Wagner and Grant would be a great pairing on the forward line, and Wagner is young enough to form a young nucleus with Shaedon Sharpe and Simons, even as Lillard ages out.

The Blazers would have a young and talented starting five and could build for contention over the next few seasons instead of pushing all of their chips in for the next season or two.