How This Trade Impacts Portland Trail Blazers
This one hurts the Portland Trail Blazers. They will do everything in their power to keep Damian Lillard on the team, but there may come a point that he has had enough and asks to be traded. If that point is sooner than later, the Indiana Pacers would present a pretty compelling offer.
The one thing the Trail Blazers have consistently stood by is that they want to remain competitive. Their goal is to win as much as possible. If they end up having their hand forced and trade Lillard, they would remain competitive with this deal.
Portland would remain perennial playoff contenders in the Western Conference, even without Lillard, with the package the Pacers are sending them. While not All-NBA level, Malcolm Brogdon is a borderline All-Star that has turned into a solid two-way player. He isn’t as explosive as Lillard scoring the ball but will provide more of a presence defensively.
Domantas Sabonis could become the long-term option at the center position that fans would love. Portland missed out on the chance to see his father, Arvdays Sabonis, play during his prime but would get the chance to see Domantas during his.
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Chris Duarte is older for a rookie, as the Oregon product is 24-years old. But, that just means he is ready to step into an NBA rotation and contribute right away. Portland needs help on the wing and he could provide minutes there right off the bat.
Not only will Portland remain competitive with those three, but they will also be receiving a ton of draft compensation. They will have the resources to make a trade for another superstar at some point or maneuver up and down the draft board in years to come.
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It’s all about having options in the NBA when it comes to future assets, and Portland would have it from this deal. Trading away Lillard is unlikely unless he requests it, but the Trail Blazers could be hard-pressed to find a package better than this one around the league.
