The Portland Trail Blazers are connected to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason, thanks to the Damian Lillard trade and Giannis Antetokounmpo saga. While many are understandably looking forward to what team Giannis lands on to see if Portland can come away with a star of its own as a facilitator, what if the answer lies in Milwaukee all along?
Bucks breakout guard Ryan Rollins was named as one of three trade targets for the Blazers by Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, along with Sam Merrill and Trey Murphy III. Favale has frequently mentioned Merrill and Murphy as targets for Portland dating back to February's trade deadline. Rollins is newer, but it makes plenty of sense given Portland's Giannis connection.
Blazers should target Ryan Rollins this offseason
Milwaukee trading its superstar seems increasingly likely this summer. Although the Blazers in all likelihood won't land him directly because of his leverage due to a player option next season, they are still in a prime position to facilitate such a deal thanks to the picks acquired via the Lillard deal.
It somewhat defeats the purpose of Milwaukee parting ways with a 23-year-old guard, considering they'd likely want to rebuild in any post-Giannis era. That's even suggested by their desired Giannis package, including a combination of young assets and draft capital.
The NBA's changing lottery odds, a result of rampant tanking, have negatively impacted the Blazers, as those future Bucks picks aren't quite as valuable as they once were. Could that be another reason for Portland's front office to part ways with them this summer?
Rollins would help address the Blazers' inconsistent backcourt
GM Joe Cronin tends to turn the unknown draft picks into more established players, particularly ones like Deni Avdija who fit their rebuilding timeline. Rollins fits that mold incredibly well, especially since the backcourt is suddenly the biggest question mark surrounding Portland's young core.
To kickstart their rebuild, the Blazers invested top ten picks into high-upside guards Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. However, it's surprisingly been the frontcourt pieces of Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan that have emerged as the true building blocks due to their two-way impact.
Sharpe and Henderson have each showcased their flashes of upside, but have yet to piece it all together to contribute to winning on a consistent basis. Adding another up-and-coming piece to the backcourt in Rollins would increase the Blazers chances of at least one of them panning out as a long-term starting solution to their question marks in the backcourt.
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