1. Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled to make noise in the postseason in a similar fashion that the Dallas Mavericks have. They have been eliminated from the postseason in the first round four out of the last five years. Portland hasn’t advanced to the NBA Finals since 1992 and has advanced beyond the first round only five times since.
The Trail Blazers also underwent some shake-ups this offseason. Head coach Terry Stotts and the organization agreed to part ways, as Chauncey Billups is taking over on the sidelines. But, the roster could use some shaking up as well.
The Trail Blazers’ golden backcourt pairing of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has seemed to run its course. With only one year of real success in the postseason, coming in 2019 when they made the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Golden State Warriors, a change could be on the horizon.
CJ McCollum for Kristaps Porzingis straight-up swap would work under the NBA’s salary cap rules. Dallas could attach some future draft capital in the deal as well, or a player such as Josh Green, to sweeten the deal as Porzingis comes with a lot more question marks than McCollum does.
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This is a swap that could benefit both teams. The Trail Blazers may lower their floor given Porzingis’ injury history, but their ceiling is much higher with him than McCollum and he balances out the roster. McCollum gives Dallas the secondary ball-handler, playmaker and scorer they are looking for alongside Doncic.
