Does this trade make sense for the Portland Trail Blazers?
It’s never easy to trade a superstar like Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers certainly would be no exception to that. Getting a quality return is vital and being able to add a talent like Brandon Ingram as the focal point of a trade package is intriguing.
There will be other teams who have strong interest in making a trade for Lillard. Whether the Trail Blazers take a deal like this one from the Pelicans will be predicated on the team’s thoughts on the focal point of the potential return.
Would the Philadelphia 76ers offering a trade package centered around Ben Simmons be more enticing? How about the New York Knicks including RJ Barrett in a deal? Keep in mind, there aren’t a lot of teams equipped with massive draft assets and are in a win-now mode like the Pelicans.
If the Pelicans have to get into a bidding war in order to have a competitive trade package, they have more than enough draft picks to outcompete any team other than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, OKC already has a point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Adding a volume scorer in Brandon Ingram would be an effective starting point but also landing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis along with many future first-round picks would be an enticing offer to at least strongly consider taking.
