Portland Trail Blazers at the trade deadline: Choosing a direction
Build a Contender Robert – Trust in the youth movement
Over the last few months, Portland watched some of its youth grow up right before their eyes. Gary Trent Jr, at 21, already looks like an above-average starting SG. He is capable of filling in for CJ long-term. Simons has finally shown flashes of his potential as his minutes also increase during CJ’s absence. Even Nassir Little surprises some people with his showcased improvements on the offensive end. Add in the signing of 23-year-old Derrick Jones Jr. and the eventual return of Zach Collins. This team could basically have a rebuild while still competing for a higher seed in the playoffs.
Two hypothetical trades Robert would like to see happen
- Portland trades CJ Mccollum/2022 1st round pick to Toronto for Pascal Siakam.
- Portland trades Rodney Hood/Jusuf Nurkic to the Sacramento Kings for Harrison Barnes.
The Trail Blazers now have a starting lineup of Dame/Trent/Barnes/Siakam/Kanter. Coming off the bench are Simons/Little/Jones/Anthony/Covington/Harry Giles III, as Collins works on health/development to become the backup center and eventual starting center.
Trent’s growth puts Portland in a position to withstand the gut-punch of moving Mccollum for talent at a different position. If Portland were able to turn a package of CJ Mccollum/2022 1st round pick for someone like Pascal Siakam, that would be a perfect talent re-set of the Blazers lineup.
Another move to help consolidate and spread out talent would be to make a play for Harrison Barnes. It likely takes Portland sending Nurkic/Hood to get a deal done. Additionally, the Portland Trail Blazers have to be sold on Kanter starting until Zach Collins healed up and developed. Portland would be in a good position moving forward in the present plus in the foreseeable future.
Portland stays competitive while spreading out talent. Adding some younger core pieces and changing up some of the current dynamics of the team.
Related: 4 good trades the Portland Trail Blazers can make
In the end, I can’t decide on which direction to go. I can only imagine what it must be like for Olshey. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.