Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G/F RJ Barrett, G Derrick Rose, G/F Evan Fournier, 2023 First-Round Pick (NYK), 2025 First-Round Pick (NYK)
New York Knicks Receive: G Damian Lillard
If the Portland Trail Blazers are ready to trigger a rebuild but want a sure thing in return for Damian Lillard, this could be the package for them.
Canadian wing RJ Barrett doesn’t look like a future superstar from what he’s shown with the Knicks. He does, however, look like a future all-star. He profiles as more of a second option on a future contender than a number-one.
That’s fine. There’s value in finding your second fiddle early in a rebuild. With this Knicks deal, the Blazers would likely bottom out for a season or two. While they don’t own their own draft pick in 2023, they do the following summer. If they can extend a tank into 2024, they could land their top option in that draft.
That probably won’t be an issue. Without Lillard, the Blazers will be majorly set back.
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Still, they’ve got a foundation for the future between the 21-year-old Barrett and the 22-year-old Simons.
They could be a piece away from getting further than they ever did during the Lillard era.