Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently proposed multiple blockbuster trades involving Kevin Durant. The Portland Trail Blazers aren't in the position to land Durant themselves, as their rebuilding timeline doesn't align with the 36-year-old superstar. However, they should help facilitate a multi-team Durant trade.
With several trade candidates on their roster, Portland has several veterans who could be valuable for a team making a win-now move for KD. One of Quinn's proposals is a three-team deal involving the Suns, Heat, and Blazers.
Here is the deal in full:
The Trail Blazers desperately need shooting
As to why the Blazers do this, Quinn wrote, "Portland has gotten too good to tank, but needs more shooting to help develop young guards Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Robinson fills that need while solving Portland's center logjam."
Shooting should indeed be the Blazers' top offseason priority. They ranked in the bottom five in three-point percentage the past two seasons, and as Quinn notes, they need more floor spacing to unlock Henderson and Sharpe, two athletic guards who like to get downhill.
This is the proper framework in terms of the Blazers trading Robert Williams III to Phoenix, as the Suns desperately need another center. They currently have a band-aid solution in Nick Richards, but at this point, their frontcourt is an open wound.
But what we don't like from Portland's perspective is Duncan Robinson as the return.
Portland needs to clear a path for its young core
Our eyes lit up when we saw the Blazers involved in a hypothetical Durant trade. Needless to say, we were left underwhelmed as Portland ultimately winds up swapping Williams for Robinson.
Portland valued Williams highly at the trade deadline, reluctant to part ways with him in exchange for multiple second-rounders. Despite their dire need for shooting, I'm not convinced Robinson is worth more than that.
He is 31 years old and on an expiring contract. Not only does that risk him walking in free agency, but would Portland even want to resign him? He's a defensive liability that doesn't fit into the identity the Blazers are building with versatile and athletic two-way players like Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara.
Too many veterans are taking away minutes from youth on this roster. This may not be an issue if Anfernee Simons is out of the picture. But as currently constructed, it's already hard enough for Henderson and Sharpe to get 30+ minutes a night. And it's not like Robinson is someone like Camara who can effectively slide up a position to play alongside these guards.
Nonetheless, this trade is on the right track. It's still worth mentioning because the Blazers could send Williams over to Phoenix and even include someone like Matisse Thybulle for the right price.
However, the whole point of including themselves in a Durant trade should be to offload these veterans in exchange for role players who better align with their young core, especially since the team trading for KD will want to win immediately.