The Trail Blazers Desire To Re-Sign Grant & Aim To Trade The No. 3 Pick To Simons For A Star
Damian Lillard desires to remain and succeed in Portland. The Trail Blazers front office is dedicated to creating that champion around him. Although it’s not the exciting transactional tale everyone is looking for………. Click to read more.
Damian Lillard desires to remain and succeed in Portland. The Trail Blazers front office is dedicated to creating that champion around him.
Although it’s not the exciting transactional tale everyone is looking for, it’s what league sources have been telling NBC Sports (and publishing elsewhere) for over a year.
While Lillard‘s trade rumor has gained popularity, it is still idle speculation and click-bait conjecture until Lillard makes the first move.
What is the Trail Blazers’ ideal situation? As Kevin O’Conner of The Ringer observed, the No. 3 selection and a player like Anfernee Simons might be traded for another star in exchange for Scoot Henderson‘s rights.
My league sources say Portland’s interest in building around Lillard is genuine. The front office is exploring deals for the No. 3 pick, and it’s also open to moving Anfernee Simons. Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, or Mikal Bridges would make sense as potential targets via trade, but it’s unclear what level of appetite the Blazers have for that kind of trade. Come draft night, and they might pick.
Kevin O’Conner
Is getting a star with the No. 3 selection and Simons possible? That depends on how highly a club values Henderson, who appeared to be a cinch No. 2 choice six months ago but is now viewed as likely to go No. 3 — with Charlotte picking Brandon Miller at No. 2 — and there is chatter Henderson might slip farther than that.
Would the No. 3 selection and Simons be sufficient compensation for Mikal Bridges in the case of Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks? Does Henderson’s potential upside outweigh Mark’s knowledge of Bridges’ superior skill?
Portland may feel that it should have received more in return for that transaction, but its leverage is diminished if a club is not enthusiastic about Henderson.
City plans A and B involve reorganizing a playoff-contending club in Portland around Lillard. The league sources NBC Sports has spoken with have been consistent, even if they may differ from what fans outside the Pacific Northwest or other front offices want to hear.
The topic may shift if Portland cannot trade the pick and choose Henderson (or another player). But Lillard alone will decide if he departs from the Trail Blazers.
