Does this deal make sense for the Portland Trail Blazers?
The Portland Trail Blazers should not have any urgency to trade Damian Lillard right now, but they should be looking for ways to surround him with more talent. If they want any chance of keeping Lillard long-term, this organization has to find ways to surround their star player with more overall talent, in attempts to possibly turn themselves into a real contending team.
Acquiring Ben Simmons would definitely be a really solid move for Portland to pair with Lillard, but definitely not a move that would make sense in regards to trading away Lillard. The hypothetical idea of trading C.J. McCollum for the Sixers’ 7-footer has been floated around from time to time this offseason, but again, Portland is looking for ways to add another high-level talent around their star backcourt duo, not trade one of them away.
The options for the Blazers are very thin in terms of adding talent to their roster, which is why they are kind of stuck right now as an organization. Bringing back Norman Powell and signing Ben McLemore, Cody Zeller and Tony Snell are all solid moves this offseason, but none of these moves really pushes the Blazers into “contending” territory. They are nothing more than a lower-seed playoff team that has a ceiling of making it to the Western Conference Semifinals.
In the event that Lillard requests a trade and wants out of Portland during the 2021-22 season, the Blazers should definitely call up the 76ers and see if this trade scenario is a real proposal or not because they would be getting a fair amount of value. Ben Simmons still has potential to be a terrific two-way player in this league and Thybulle, Maxey and two first-round draft picks gives Portland a great foundation to build with for the future without Lillard.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Lillard, Hield, Ingles, Siakam
Expectations for the Portland Trail Blazers this season should not be very high with the way their current roster is constructed, but anything can change in a blink of an eye in this league. Who knows, Portland could very well end up being better than they were last year if both Lillard and McCollum remain healthy for the entire season, which is why the Trail Blazers are holding out hope with Damian Lillard as their leader still.
