Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Portland Trail Blazers
Trading away Damian Lillard would definitely change the whole dynamic of the Portland Trail Blazers, but the key players they would be getting in return would keep Portland as a playoff team in the Western Conference and for many years to come.
Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn are both sensational young players who can be built around for years to come and in an “Alpha Dog” role, C.J. McCollum could end up playing the best basketball of his career. The funny thing about this trade is that Portland would be a lot similar to the 2019-20 Miami Heat squad.
Last year’s Heat team was great at spreading the wealth and in general, they did not really have a “go-to” guy. Sure, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were All-Star talents and Goran Dragic was a great backcourt scorer, but they were different from most teams that played through their star players.
Miami went with whoever had the hot hand at the time and always looked to make the extra pass to find open teammates. The unselfishness of that team is what led them to the NBA Finals last season and by making this trade, Portland puts themselves in a very similar position to last year’s Heat team.
Andre Iguodala is still a high-level perimeter defender who still has plenty of time left in the NBA and Kelly Olynyk is a great perimeter threat that can open up the court for the Blazers. By making this trade, Portland could basically play a “5-out” set the entire game and be one of the better three-point shooting teams in the league as a result.
The draft compensation the Blazers would receive in this trade is also extremely beneficial. The picks are a little spread out, as one first-round pick is in 2022 and the other being in 2025, but they give Portland options. They could package these picks together with either Iguodala or Olynyk to bring in another All-Star talent to pair with C.J. McCollum and their young core, or they could go about the draft and bring in high-level prospects with an abundance of potential.
Trading Damian Lillard sounds ridiculous on Portland’s part, but believe it or not, it does have a couple of intriguing upsides. As things stand right now, the Portland Trail Blazers will not be trading Damian Lillard, but this trade package is definitely something that could raise a few eyebrows.
