Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G D’Angelo Russell, G/F Malik Beasley, 2025 First-Round Pick (MIN), 2026 First-Round Pick (Swap – MIN), 2027 First-Round Pick (MIN), 2028 First-Round Pick (Swap – MIN)
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: G Damian Lillard
Most teams in the Portland Trail Blazers’ shoes would probably reject this deal. If they’re trading a player like Lillard, they’d probably prefer to start from scratch rather than acquiring a lesser, but still significant talent like D’Angelo Russell.
The Trail Blazers are not most teams. They tend to avoid bottoming out. This club prefers to stay competitive in hopes of eventually catching some breaks and being greater than the sum of their parts.
This deal helps them to that end. It also provides them with a solid rebuilding package in the process. They’re landing four first-round picks or pick swaps as well as two quality guards under 30.
As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, they’re going all-in following a 2021-22 first-round exit. Following this deal, they’ll have one of the most talented trios in the league between Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards. They’ll officially move into the tier of championship hopefuls.
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On the other hand, the Blazers may be unwilling to move Lillard. Meanwhile, the Wolves may still have an incentive to move Russell following a subpar performance in the 2021-22 playoffs. In that case, this next deal may satisfy both parties.
