Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently proposed one trade every NBA team would make if the deadline were today. For the Portland Trail Blazers, that trade involves adding more star power in the form of Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.
Here is the deal in full:
*Utah would receive a 2028 first-round pick (via ORL) and a 2031 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
It's a lot of young assets to give up for a rebuilding Blazers team that's still taking a long-term approach despite their gradual improvement over the past few seasons. But at the same time, Portland is 6-5 to start the season despite a tough schedule, proving they are a piece away from ending a four-year playoff drought.
In terms of potential trade deadline candidates, there may be no better fit and addition to help achieve that than the Finnish seven-footer.
Blazers should offer this trade for Lauri Markkanen before the deadline
Losing Scoot Henderson in particular would hurt a Blazers team that is already struggling with backcourt depth. However, Portland's recent win over the New Orleans Pelicans provided a glimpse of what the future can look like without Henderson and Jerami Grant -- who was questionably ejected in the second quarter after an altercation with Yves Missi.
This team is trending towards Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe as their two primary offensive initiators. Jrue Holiday is also still proving to be a capable playmaker and lead ballhandler at age 35, which should make Henderson relatively more expendable. Not to mention, Damian Lillard's anticipated return in 2025-26 would help offset Henderson's departure.
Scoot has shed the premature bust label, but still isn't quite fulfilling the lofty expectations he had as a No. 3 overall pick. Seeing how well Portland is playing without him, they shouldn't consider him off limits -- not after adding two veteran star guards this offseason.
Markkanen is having a bounce-back season in Utah, building off his strong EuroBasket play this summer. He's averaging a career high 28.3 points along with 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 47/38/88 shooting splits. His size, shot creation, and most importantly, floor spacing, would be a perfect fit for the Blazers, a team that lacks shooting up and down their roster.
It may seem like a steep price to pay, both in terms of assets surrendered and Markkanen's $195 million owed over the next four years. But outside of Henderson, Portland really isn't giving up that much.
Orlando's 2028 pick is projected to be late in the first round, considering their up-and-coming roster. Kris Murray remains a fringe rotational player with an unreliable shot. Grant, despite his improved play, remains a negative asset due to his massive contract. From that standpoint, one of the first-round picks heading over to Utah should be viewed as an incentive to take on Grant.
There would understandably be concerns regarding what Portland's ceiling would be, as Markkanen isn't the superstar to elevate them to contention status. But this would certainly be a playoff team, and Portland is still set up nicely in the future thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks' picks acquired in the Lillard trade. Despite Markkanen's contract, they'd still be able to improve this roster both internally and externally to the point where they'd eventually be considered contenders.