The Portland Trail Blazers are an exciting team to monitor this offseason. Although they have 13 players under contract, this could still be a busy summer, making up for lost time as one of the few teams to stand pat at February's trade deadline.
Portland's unfinished roster and the progression of their young core suggest that key veterans should be moved to enter the next phase of their rebuild. However, the Blazers also find themselves in a unique situation as they exceeded expectations this season, increasing their win total by 15.
Although they are one of the youngest teams in the league, Portland now has playoff aspirations as soon as next season. But in order to make that a reality, they'll have to add more star power.
Zion Williamson joins Rip City's young core
Portland lands a physical duo of Deni Avdija and Zion Williamson to match the identity Joe Cronin wants and gets a pesky backup point guard in Alvarado. New Orleans gets to retool their roster around the Blazers' young assets and their incoming draft pick.
Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report recently named Williamson "probably the most talented player this team could realistically trade for." He notes that he'd be willing to take a swing on Williamson as long as the Blazers don't have to sacrifice key pieces of their young core, specifically mentioning Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Here, the Blazers have to surrender a bit more than the buy-low example Highkin gave of "matching salary, the 10th pick in this year's draft, and maybe one future pick swap." But it's not too far off, given that Anfernee Simons' trade value likely isn't sky-high with his looming extension.
Portland bolsters frontcourt with Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen's trade value is difficult to gauge. He's better than Jerami Grant, but it's a very similar situation.
Neither veteran forward should still be on their respective rebuilding teams by now. Grant is still owed over $100 million for the next three years (including a player option), while Markkanen is on the books for just south of $200 million over the next four.
Both teams would get off these players' massive contracts in a perfect world. But each had relatively down seasons, plummeting their value. Still, between the two, Markkanen would be a much better fit for the Blazers.
He's four years younger and just one year removed from an All-Star appearance. Portland is better equipped to win now than Utah, and Markkanen can be added as a seamless fit to get them back into the playoffs.
Utah has a few promising pieces for its rebuild but still doesn't have a clear-cut answer to its backcourt situation. Adding Simons and a top-ten pick into the mix could be enough to convince them to downgrade from Markkanen to Grant.
Blazers go all-in for Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Memphis Grizzlies need to do something to shake up their core, as it's clear their trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. doesn't have the elite star power needed to make a deep playoff run. This is a lot of assets for a Memphis team that needs to retool to get out of the purgatory they quickly found themselves in.
Memphis lands more offensive firepower in Simons, who could easily fit alongside Morant and Bane, given his combo guard abilities. They could even move on from Morant and make Simons their lead guard if they find the right deal.
This is a steep price for Portland to pay, but Jackson is an ideal addition to their young core. If they want to add a 25-year-old who's a two-time All-Star and recent Defensive Player of the Year, it's going to come at a premium.
At least in this case, the Blazers are finding someone who fits their timeline and roster needs perfectly. Jackson would add to their defensive identity and give them frontcourt flexibility with his versatility as someone who can play both the four and the five. And his prolific three-point shooting would be a massive boost for a Blazers team that desperately needs help in that department.