Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently proposed a trade for every NBA team's best asset. He lists the Trail Blazers' best asset as the 2030 first-round pick, which will be either their own or the Milwaukee Bucks', as Portland has a pick swap that year thanks to the lopsided Damian Lillard deal. In this mock proposal, the Blazers package their best asset (and worst asset, among others) in a trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Here is the deal in full:
"It's tough to say exactly what the Trail Blazers are hoping to accomplish and when, but the acquisition of Jrue Holiday and return of Damian Lillard indicate a desire to compete sooner than later. If this young core experiences enough development to make that competitiveness possible already this season, Portland has the assets to pursue something major. Bringing in three key contributors from Indiana's Finals team would qualify," Buckley wrote.
Why the Blazers should hang up
Portland is looking to accelerate its rebuilding timeline, taking a similar approach to the Houston Rockets by adding (overpaid) veterans to an ascending young core. However, the one major issue with that is that the Blazers' young core is nowhere close to the Rockets. They don't have those star pieces like Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun.
Indiana is sending over valuable assets to Portland in this deal, particularly Andrew Nembhard, who would be a great fit in the backcourt. But these are all B-tier type players, of which Portland already has plenty. The Blazers don't need more depth; they need star power to contend in the stacked Western Conference.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranked Milwaukee's 2030 first-round pick swap as the 13th most valuable traded first-round pick -- and it was only a swap! The Blazers' most straightforward path back to contention lies in those future Bucks picks, which could turn into literal gold if Giannis Antetokounmpo is out of the picture by then (and Quinn predicts he will be).
The Blazers need to keep those picks and try to land a star in the draft, or package them for a clear-cut No. 1 option, which Nembhard isn't. After this trade, Portland's best player would still be Deni Avdija -- they'd have to make follow-up moves to become legitimate threats out West.
This is not to say that Portland shouldn't pursue the likes of Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, or Obi Toppin. Individually, they'd all address key roster needs for the Blazers. But with Indiana coming off this magical Finals run, this would be Portland buying high on players who aren't actual needle movers.
It would be in Portland's best long-term interest to hold onto those picks and promising center Donovan Clingan, even if it means Jerami Grant sticking around a bit longer.