The Portland Trail Blazers remain a dark horse in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. Portland's front office has made it clear they won't sacrifice their entire future for a win-now move, but remains open to landing a star should the price be right. They've expressed interest in acquiring Giannis directly. That said, the uncertainty of a long-term commitment needs to be baked into the price.
SBNation NBA's Ricky O’Donnell proposed a package that takes that into account, making it a worthwhile gamble for Portland. Here is the deal in its entirety:
Bucks receive: Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Yang Hansen, 2028 and 2030 Bucks swaps returned, 2032 Blazers first-round pick
Trail Blazers receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Why the Trail Blazers would do this trade
With Scoot Henderson still struggling with consistency and Yang Hansen a major project, Portland would be trading these up-and-coming players at unideal times. But the fact that they can shed Jerami Grant's contract and give up only one of their own picks for a top-five player in the world has to be considered a steal.
Not to mention, in this scenario, Portland would still have Milwaukee's 2029 first-round pick from the Damian Lillard trade. That could gain value in this scenario, as the Bucks would be trading away Giannis and embracing a rebuild around young assets. By giving them the swaps back, the Bucks have more incentive to bottom out, meaning the pick the Blazers keep gains value, too.
This is the ideal trade for Portland to put itself in a win-now position without compromising its future. They still have building blocks, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, and Toumani Camara. Shaedon Sharpe remains the highest upside player on the roster, too, giving them a potential star co-star for Avdija after Giannis' window closes.
There's certainly risk attached anytime you are trading for a star of this caliber. Portland has the depth and the blend of youth and veterans, but Giannis admittedly isn't the perfect roster fit on a team that struggles to space the floor. There's also the question about the Giannis and Dame pairing not working out in Milwaukee, resulting in two early first-round exits. Does Portland really want to trade away part of its future to run it back?
Henderson is still a former No. 3 overall pick with plenty of room to grow at 22 years old. Portland's front office is bullish on Hansen, and I doubt a rocky rookie season changed that stance. But all things considered, Portland is going to have to pay a steep price to win the Giannis sweepstakes. If they can manage to land the superstar without having to sacrifice any surefire starters while maintaining part of the valuable Bucks draft capital, it's more than worthwhile.
The risk lies in securing a commitment from Giannis, but that seems baked into the price. And who knows, maybe Portland could convince Giannis to stay after he sees how close they are to contention.
Grade: A-
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