ESPN's NBA insiders proposed five trades that would shake up the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. One trade idea is a three-team deal involving the Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers. In the deal, Portland, a bottom-five three-point shooting team, addresses its most glaring problem by landing Dalton Knecht.
Here is the deal in full:
Lakers get their center, Nets stockpile assets, Blazers add shooting
Bobby Marks notes that, in this scenario, the Lakers trade for the No. 8 overall pick to select Duke's Khaman Maluach. Los Angeles' top offseason priority is finding a lob threat for Luka Doncic, as their early playoff exit exposed a fatal roster flaw.
If Maluach is off the board by then, it doesn't make as much sense for the Lakers to surrender Knecht and 2031 unprotected first because of the wide gap between Maluach and the next-best center. Not to mention, Derik Queen's poor combine measurements and style of play aren't an ideal pairing for Doncic and the Lakers.
Similarly, this trade likely depends on how the draft plays out for Brooklyn. NBA insider Jake Fischer has reported that the Nets are interested in Jeremiah Fears. But if he's off the table before then (we have Fears going to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 7 in our latest mock draft), the Nets might want to trade back and continue to stockpile future assets.
As Marks notes, the Nets would still have three first-round picks in this draft and strengthen their patient long-term approach with 12 future firsts in the next seven years. The Lakers finally find their center solution and don't have to worry about it for the next decade if things go as expected with Maluach. He'd also be on a rookie deal, potentially giving the Lakers a valuable window to add pieces around Doncic after LeBron James finally retires.
The Blazers solve their most significant need, too. But at what cost?
Blazers get the short end of the stick in this deal
Marks compares the trade to the Blazers acquiring Deni Avdija last summer. Joe Cronin has shown he's willing to include draft capital in trades for the right fit. But there's a noticeable difference in talent levels between Avdija and Knecht.
He failed to consistently crack JJ Redick's rotation when it mattered the most, and his upside is limited at 24 years old. Knecht fell to the No. 17 pick in last year's draft, which was much weaker. Why would Portland want to give up a better pick in a stronger class for that?
Knecht shot 37.6 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie and would fit in well on the offensive end with Portland's young core. However, if they desperately want to add shooting, they should just take someone like Cedric Coward and call it a day.
Additionally, the 2027 pick coming from New York ideally would be further down the road, as the Knicks will still be a top Eastern Conference team in two years. All of their core pieces besides Mikal Bridges are under contract for the 2026-27 season.
This trade gives the Blazers more depth but significantly limits their ceiling with no premium asset. They must take the opposite approach in their quest for star power. Keeping their No. 11 pick in this strong draft class is a better foundation to achieve that.