The 2023 NBA Draft is almost upon us now, and things are sure to get interesting leading up to the big day. Among the biggest storylines of Draft day will be the Trail Blazers and their decision with the no. 3 pick. Whether it’s Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, Portland is strongly considering trading the pick to add some help around Damian Lillard.
Of course, the Blazers could also go the other way by keeping the pick and trading Lillard instead… but NBA insider Brian Windhorst recently provided some intel that suggests Portland is still all-in on trying to win with their star point guard.
“They can get a haul for Dame. Whatever it is. And they’d have two lottery picks to rebuild around. But that is not the direction they’re going at all. That is not the intel I’m receiving at all.”
The Trailblazers aren’t interested in rebuilding and receiving a haul for Damian Lillard
“They can get a haul for Dame. Whatever it is. And they'd have two lottery picks to rebuild around. But that is not the direction they're going at all. That is not the intel I'm receiving… pic.twitter.com/UNkuimZluE
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 16, 2023
Anfernee Simons, Shadeon Sharpe, and that no. 3 pick are the Blazers’ top assets right now, and it’s going to be tough for GM Joe Cronin to make the team significantly better without trading at least one of them.
Fortunately for Portland, both Simons and Sharpe are valued highly across the league as elite perimeter scorers, but it remains to be seen what kind of return they’d bring back in a trade.
Paul George Could Be On The Table For Portland
Among the more intriguing options that could potentially be available is trading for Paul George, who is exactly the kind of 3-and-D wing player the Blazers have needed for years now.
“For the Blazers, I do think George probably is the best singular player they could acquire if the goal is to open their contention window as wide as possible for the rest of Lillard’s career,” wrote Vecenie. “And I doubt that the Clippers would return any singular better asset in a trade than Henderson in a deal for George.”
It’s still too early to tell what kind of summer this will be for the Blazers, but the presence of Damian Lillard puts all the pressure on the front office to make a move and build a team that can compete with the best.
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