Portland Trail Blazers
The first thing the Portland Trail Blazers have to do this offseason is fixing their relationship with Damian Lillard. If they can get him to re-commit and not want a trade, they can get to business improving the roster.
Portland should be focusing on defensive-minded players to help balance out the roster and Marcus Smart would fit the bill. Pairing him in the backcourt with Lillard would finally give the Trail Blazers a defensive ace to use on the perimeter. Smart would be an excellent complement to explosive Lillard in that regard.
Having Smart, Norman Powell if he re-signs and Robert Covington would give Portland three players that can get it done on the defensive end of the court. The Trail Blazers’ explosive offense would finally have a few great defenders to match.
While Smart wouldn’t offer the scoring punch that McCollum does, he would bring a similar level of playmaking to the table. In that regard, the team won’t see a significant drop-off.
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While he is a streaky shooter, Smart can at least keep defenses honest about leaving him wide open. But, it is his defense that is his calling card and what Portland would covet if they acquired him.
