Does this trade make sense for the New Orleans Pelicans?
If the New Orleans Pelicans can get Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season, they should be willing to sacrifice basically every asset they own except Zion Williamson. Brandon Ingram is a terrific player and has been for them the last two seasons, but overall, he is not close to being on the same level as a guy like Lillard.
In time, Zion can definitely be one of the best players in the league, which is why they should not be willing to give him up. It would definitely take a lot of convincing and a lot in terms of a trade package to even get close to acquiring Damian Lillard, but this trade would change this Pelicans franchise for the better.
Very rarely do guys like Lillard become available in trade talks and right now in the league, there may not be a better guard than him. You could definitely make an argument that Stephen Curry and James Harden are equal to or better than Damian Lillard, but quite honestly, all three of these guys are in a tier of their own, above the rest of the guards in the league, when healthy.
Seeing as they have made the playoffs just twice since the 2011-12 season, New Orleans should be willing to do everything they can to add another superstar player to their roster, which is why this hypothetical trade package to acquire Lillard from Portland makes complete sense for the Pelicans.
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While they would not immediately be a championship-contending team, which is likely where Lillard would want to go should he request a trade, New Orleans would definitely have the pieces in place to be able to go out and acquire more talent in order to turn themselves into one of the better teams in the league.
If they were to make this trade, the Pelicans would still have Jonas Valanciunas, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, Trey Murphy III, and potentially Josh Hart, giving them exactly what they need to build around Lillard and Williamson.
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Given how things are panning out in Portland this offseason, it looks likely that Damian Lillard could be on the move within the next year or so, which is why the New Orleans Pelicans should be gearing up to do everything they can to try and acquire him.
