Portland Trail Blazers

It has become abundantly clear that the pairing of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard is not enough to bring Portland the success they’ve hoped for. The dynamic scoring backfield brings Portland down defensively and they just don’t have the pieces around them to make up for the defensive slack. In the regular season, Portland actually ranked eighth in defensive rating (104.2) but their defense wasn’t able to find playoff success.

To add more defense and another veteran presence in the playoffs, the Blazers make this move for Butler:

Proposed trade package:

Trail Blazers receive: Jimmy Butler

Timberwolves receive: Maurice Harkless, Caleb Swanigan, Seth Curry, Anfernee Simons

In order to move for Butler at the deadline, the Blazers may have to give up a few more assets than they would hope to. However, Butler should be worth the investment. Simons is an intriguing young combo guard and Curry is a solid floor spacer and playmaker. Swanigan has flashed as an inside presence and Harkless is a versatile option on the wing.

Butler adds more scoring and veteran leadership to a Blazers’ roster in need of both of those assets. He would allow for Portland to cover for the defensive weaknesses of Lillard and McCollum. A starting unit of Lillard, McCollum, Butler, Aminu, and Nurkic has the offense and defensive potential to make some noise in the Western Conference.

Next Up: Team 2