Bleacher Report's Dan Favale recently proposed "Blockbuster NBA Trade Ideas for Celtics, Suns and Teams Desperate For a Change."
The Portland Trail Blazers shouldn't be desperate for a change. They do need to find more star power to truly contend in the loaded Western Conference, but their young timeline also allows for them to be patient and highly selective in deciding who that star is.
But in Favale's mock proposal, Portland isn't the team that is in need of a change -- it's their trade partner, the New Orleans Pelicans.
Here is the deal in full:
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Deandre Ayton, No. 11 pick, Milwaukee's 2028 first-round pick (swap rights), Milwaukee's 2029 first-round pick (swap rights)
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Zion Williamson
This deal could be exactly what both teams need
The NBA is a rapidly evolving league, and things are bound to change as the summer progresses. But as of now, all indications are that the Pelicans have no intentions of making Zion Williamson available this summer.
However, it would be a mistake for newly appointed decision maker Joe Dumars not to at least explore what offers are out there for their injury-prone star.
"Or it's an incredible misdirection. It doesn't really matter. The Pelicans are ready for a reset. They can wait and see whether Zion increases his value ahead of February's trade deadline, but that's a risky game considering his checkered injury history," wrote Favale.
New Orleans can finally find stability with this deal, building around more reliable young assets such as Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Yves Missi, and two lottery picks in a strong draft class. Favale also notes that it would give the Pelicans a monopoly on Bucks pick swaps to play the facilitator role in any potential blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
But does it make sense from the Trail Blazers' standpoint? The appeal in trading for an injury-prone big man like Zion is that it would come at a discount relative to the premium you have to pay to acquire stars in the NBA. It's a lot of valuable draft capital to surrender. But most importantly, Portland doesn't have to gut their young core that has been established and proven they have taken that next step this season.
For the Trail Blazers, the main point of having the Bucks' picks is to cash them in for a star. Otherwise, the swaps won't be as valuable since Milwaukee won't want to bottom out. It's a roundabout way of doing so, as most trades have Portland sending Milwaukee their picks back directly. But this could be a trade that sets New Orleans up for something larger if Giannis actually does get moved.
The one thing preventing this trade from being graded higher would be including Jerami Grant as the contract Portland offloads rather than Ayton, giving the Trail Blazers more long-term flexibility. But even as it is, this is a fair deal on both sides. The chance of Zion staying healthy and becoming an All-Star for Portland is still higher than landing a star with that No. 11 pick.
Grade: B+