Trail Blazers reactions
The Portland Trail Blazers, intentionally or not, will find themselves as the auctioneer for a fast-paced bidding war for the rights to add All-Star point guard Dame Lillard to his new team’s respective roster. But not all trade packages are created equally.
Reasons Trail Blazers don’t make this trade
If the Portland Trail Blazers want draft picks only, then they will likely be lured to other trade packages. While the Portland Trail Blazers have named draft picks specifically in reports over what the team wants in return, do they?
The Trail Blazers have a rather young roster, and having just signed PF Jerami Grant to a significant deal, their front office may want to tap the brakes on adding veteran players who are highly compensated. Unfortunately, if the Timberwolves are the trade partner, highly compensated veteran players will make up the majority of the compensation.
Reasons Trail Blazers do make this trade
The Timberwolves package restores a bona fide NBA All-Star to the Trail Blazers roster at a distinct position of need and reclaims the logic of signing Jerami Grant to a long-term deal. If the Portland Trail Blazers want to get Scoot Henderson’s feet wet at playing point guard for this team, then they will have plenty of opportunities to trade last season of veteran PG Mike Conley Jr.’s current contract with another team.
The Trail Blazers, in my estimation, will not have the opportunity to acquire such a versatile center for Lillard, and in doing so trade back from a 33-year-old point guard to a 27-year-old power forward/center. Of course, right now Towns is coming off his worst season in terms of health. But the Portland Trail Blazers want to build an NBA Championship team, and Karl-Anthony Towns can deliver that for them with the right pieces around him.