Golden State Warriors Receive: G Damian Lillard, C Jusef Nurkic
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F Andrew Wiggins, C James Wiseman, F Kelly Oubre Jr. (via sign-and-trade), MIN 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick No. 7), GSW 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick No. 14), GSW 2022 1st Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to POR), GSW 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-4 Protected)
Trade proposal No. 1 have the Portland Trail Blazers a handful of players that could help them sustain success both now and in the future. Here in trade proposal No. 2 though, the Blazers not only get the same kind of assets, but they get even more future assets as well.
Adding Jusef Nurkic to the deal including Damian Lillard may sound crazy given how well these two guys have played in Portland, but Nurkic has recently stated his support for his teammate. Nurkic has remained loyal to his leader over the years and recently stated he would leave Portland if Damian Lillard is traded.
“As far as I know, the man stays there, but if he goes, then I leave Portland as well,” Nurkic said. “My opinion is that it would be stupid to let such a loyal man as Lillard go.” The Bosnian big man is under contract for one more season at $12M, but dumping his salary now along with Lillard’s could open up the door for Portland to quickly gain more assets to keep themselves as a threat in the Western Conference.
Basically in this trade, they would be getting rid of Nurkic to land Kelly Oubre Jr. in a sign-and-trade deal with Golden State. Things can get complicated money-wise with sign-and-trade deals, but acquiring Oubre Jr. gives the Trail Blazers yet another versatile wing player to build with moving forward.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Beal, Lillard, McCollum, Porzingis & Siakam
In 55 games this past year with Golden State, Oubre Jr. averaged 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and shot 43.9% from the floor. Kelly Oubre Jr.’s athleticism on the wing and his length allows him to not only attack teams in transition, but disrupt passing lanes as well.
Acquiring Wiggins and Oubre Jr. on the wing allows the Blazers to try and become better offensively, while adding Wiseman underneath provides them with a young building block that has All-Star potential for years to come.
The draft compensation Portland receives in this trade proposal is also quite beneficial to their long-term plans if they were to trade Damian Lillard. They would not only get two lottery picks this year at 7th and 14th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, but they would get a future first-round pick in 2023 and have the rights to swap first-round picks with Golden State in 2022.
Basically as an extension of the first trade proposal, the Warriors would take out Paschall and add on an extra first-round pick, a first-round pick swap and Oubre Jr. instead while all the Blazers would give up is Jusef Nurkic.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Beal, Lillard, McCollum, Porzingis & Siakam
The Warriors would not only get Damian Lillard, the All-Star piece they are looking to add this offseason, but they would add Jusef Nurkic, who is more than capable of being their starting center and helping them win a championship.
Whether or not they would be willing to part ways with more future compensation for one year of Nurkic is unknown, but the Warriors’ championship efforts would definitely benefit during the 2021-22 season by adding both Lillard and Nurkic.
This is a really strong deal for the Golden State Warriors and could be a strong deal for the Portland Trail Blazers, but until we know more about Portland’s plans in regards to Lillard’s future, it is very hard to tell where their heads are at.
