Portland Trail Blazers
One dark horse team to keep an eye on is the Portland Trail Blazers. They can open up a ton of cap space this offseason and are looking to strike it big.
Signing Deandre Ayton to a max deal would provide the Trail Blazers with someone that can help them compete right away but also provide a building block for the future.
Lillard will be 32-years old when the regular season kicks off, so they need a future face of the Trail Blazers franchise which Ayton, who will be 24, can provide.
Upgrading around Lillard is the organization’s plan, and Ayton would be a great start in free agency. Given Lillard’s recent social media activity featuring liking a tweet about Ayton coming to Portland, a potential move from the Trail Blazers likely would be supported.
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If they can then acquire someone such as Jerami Grant, who they have reportedly zeroed in on as their No. 1 target, it would provide the Portland Trail Blazers with two very good players to surround Damian Lillard with.
