Phoenix Suns Receive: C Jusuf Nurkic, G/F Josh Hart, 2025 First-Round Pick (POR) 

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: C Deandre Ayton 

There is no doubt that not every opportunity looks the same to everybody. 

There are times when you have to pass on what others thought was a great opportunity. If you ask them, “How could you let this opportunity slip away from you?”, they will ask you the same question. You weren’t the right person for it from the beginning. 

Take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers for example. Throughout the majority of the Damian Lillard era, this team has mostly been middling in terms of success.

Plenty of fans would argue that they should have taken advantage of the opportunities they had to blow up their team and start over. 

NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Portland Trail Blazers Updates

There was never a chance for Portland to take advantage of that. Rebuilding was not something they wanted to do. Rather than that, they have opted to stay as competitive as possible, regardless of the level of competition that actually takes place. 

Are they more competitive as a result of this deal?