How This Trade Impacts Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are entering what looks like a make-or-break season. They fired head coach Terry Stotts because of the lack of success in the postseason. If Chauncey Billups cannot get them over the hump, they could be staring down the barrel of a rebuild.
To avoid that from happening, they must shake up the roster. Damian Lillard wanted them to be aggressive and they weren’t in the offseason. Getting a deal done for Ben Simmons is something that would likely appease him.
Simmons would provide Portland with everything they are missing. They need an anchor defensively that can help them turn things around on that end of the court. He is an All-NBA Defensive Team member with Defensive Player of the Year upside.
Simmons could be their souped-up version of Draymond Green for Lillard, who could fill the role Stephen Curry does. Pick-and-rolls between Simmons and Lillard would be deadly as teams would have to extend their defense out well beyond the 3-point line given Lillard’s range.
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Acquiring Simmons would also enable the Blazer to balance out their lineup. Right now they are very undersized as Lillard, CJ McCollum and Norman Powell are all 6’3” or shorter. Adding the 6’10” Simmons to the mix gives them some much-needed size and enables Powell to play shooting guard.
This is a deal Portland management would love to make. It provides them a second All-Star in Ben Simmons that could be a building block for them should Lillard still ask to leave. He also fills the holes they need to help take them to the next level.
