How This Trade Impacts Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are going to have some franchise-altering decisions to make soon. What they decide to do with superstar point guard Damian Lillard will shape the organization for the foreseeable future.
If they decide to retain him long-term with the contract extension he is seeking, they have no choice but to try and build the roster up around him. So, that is what they decide to do with this trade to acquire Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis would be a good addition to the team’s offense as they can run sets through him. That will take pressure off of Lillard and C.J. McCollum who do all of the heavy lifting offensively for Portland. Moving Sabonis over to the center spot could unlock some things we didn’t see with the Pacers, as the pairing in the frontcourt with Myles Turner was sometimes a clunky one.
Oshae Brissett and Kelan Martin provide solid depth for the team at the forward spots as well. Both are versatile players that can fill multiple positions, as Martin can slide down to the wing and Brissett started at center down the stretch for the team last season.
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The biggest issue with acquiring Sabonis is that he doesn’t help the team’s defense much, which is currently last in the NBA in defensive rating according to Basketball-Reference. The front office would have to find some defensive-minded players to fill out the roster for this to work.
Portland would also be going all-in on the Lillard-McCollum-Sabonis trio being enough for them to compete. They are surrendering their best assets in this deal, which is always risky. But, should things not work and they decide it is time to move on from Lillard, having the 25-year old Sabonis anchor the roster isn’t a bad position to be in.
