5 Players Trail Blazers could target in Lillard trade to become contenders

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R.J. Barrett could be a realistic trade target for Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers.

R.J. Barrett, New York Knicks (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

RJ Barrett, New York Knicks

Should the New York Knicks be willing to go all-in on the potential of a backcourt that features Jalen Brunson and Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers should jump at the opportunity to land RJ Barrett in such a deal. As one of the most underrated two-way budding stars in the league, there’s a lot of good that Barrett could do on this young Blazers team. Building around a core of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, Barrett, and Jerami Grant would be a good post-Dame starting spot for Portland.

And if Barrett continues to make strides in his development, there’s a chance that he could help keep the Blazers afloat while Scoot Henderson and Sharpe develop into something special. The Blazers have a huge hole at the small forward position and Barrett would fill that nicely.

The best part of Barrett landing on the Blazers is the fact that the limelight and pressure would be off of him and he’d be able to continue to develop at a more comfortable pace. Not to say that playing in New York has been overwhelming for him throughout the first few years of his career but it almost has to play at least some factor in his development.