Does this trade make sense for the Portland Trail Blazers?
If Damian Lillard requests a trade from Portland in the coming weeks, then there really is not much they can do as an organization. They would be in a lose-lose situation because if they do not trade him, then Portland quickly finds themselves in a situation where they are deemed to not respect their players. If they trade him though, they would be giving up one of the best players in the league and look foolish for doing so from a management perspective.
Any other scenario than Lillard being happy in Portland and committing to them long-term is a loss for the Trail Blazers, which is why they really need to do some serious damage control in the offseason. They can do so by going out and looking for ways to add more talent to their team.
Damian Lillard has said time and time again that he wants to deliver a championship to Portland, but if this front-office does not provide him with more talented players, then the chances of this occurring are slim. C.J. McCollum is a talented, borderline All-Star player, but who else do the Blazers really have? Robert Covington, Jusef Nurkic nor Carmelo Anthony are capable of being that third key player on a championship contending team, which is why Portland desperately needs to add more talent to their roster.
Finding ways to potentially add a third All-Star caliber talent to their roster will be on their agenda this offseason, but if Portland is unable to do so and Damian Lillard wants out, then this trade with Philadelphia is not bad at all.
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Not only would the Blazers be sending Lillard to the Eastern Conference, where they would not have to see him much during the regular season and not see him at all until potentially in the NBA Finals, but they would be getting significant upgrades defensively.
During the 2020-21 season, Portland ranked 23rd in the league in opponents points per game and they allowed their opponents to shoot 47.3% from the floor, the 6th worst in the league in terms of defensive production. Not to mention, the Portland Trail Blazers also ranked 29th in the league in defensive rating, ranking them as one of the worst all-around defensive teams in the league.
If this team does not get better defensively, they are not going to be in any position to better themselves in the postseason, which is why adding Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle could be highly valuable. They are both elite-level defenders right now and Simmons possesses the potential to grow into a two-way star.
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Standing 7-feet tall and having the athleticism that he does, Ben Simmons could really thrive as a downhill driver on the offensive-end of the floor. Virtually no player in the league would be able to stop him with a full head of steam, which is why Portland could look to get the most out of him, especially next to a guy like C.J. McCollum.
The Blazers, whether they realize it or not, are in no shape to contend for a championship right now in the Western Conference, which is why they have time to invest into Simmons and try to make him the best version of himself that he can be. The potential is there for Ben Simmons to become one of the best players in this league, but he needs time to refine his skills and become the player his team wants him to be.
Tyrese Maxey is another interesting asset that Portland would add in this trade. The rookie out of Kentucky played limited minutes during the regular season and in the postseason for the Philadelphia 76ers, but he has shown flashes of his potential being a multi-dimensional scorer and slasher with the ball in his hands.
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Adding Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, Tyrsse Maxey and two future first-round picks is definitely a ton of value for Portland to get in return for Lillard and they could potentially con Philadelphia out of a few more draft picks as well. At the end of the day, this is probably the best deal that the Trail Blazers will get for Lillard, which is why they would be wise to accept should he want out of Portland.
However, finding ways to mend this relationship now and keep Damian Lillard long-term needs to be the Portland Trail Blazers main focus right now. If Lillard leaves, all the work they have put in over the last decade has been for nothing and their chances of contending for a title now or for at least the next decade will drop to virtually nothing.
