The Portland Trail Blazers were one of the most disappointing teams this season because the highly anticipated return of Damian Lillard was nothing more than misled excitement. Portland was poor on both ends of the floor, ranking 18th in offensive rating and 27th in defensive rating. The team struggled to score the ball but also gave up a ton of easy scoring opportunities. Quite frankly, the Trail Blazers did not have a good enough roster.
Despite Damian Lillard averaging 32.1 PPG, he did not have much help. It will never be the case in the modern NBA when a single superstar player wins the championship single-handedly without other All-Stars next to him. As good as Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant are, neither are All-Star players and that means the Trail Blazers will end up in the lottery as they did this season. Finishing 13th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record, Portland was simply poor.
Rumors of Damian Lillard wanting out are becoming more apparent by the week, and it won’t end unless changes are made. The superstar point guard has pledged his loyalty, even if it could be the right time for him to leave, and he seems to be built from the old school. Despite his loyalty, Lillard might have hope that the Trail Blazers franchise can turn things around. There could be a superteam being formed as we speak, and it could shake up the Western Conference.
That’s right, the Trail Blazers can form one of the most talented teams in the league this summer and it involved three major moves to make it happen. Here is how the Portland Trail Blazers can create a superteam this summer.
Get Younger And More Athletic At Center
Trade Package: Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Knox for Naz Reid (Sign and Trade)
Jusuf Nurkic is a solid player, but despite his skill and size, he does not seem to impact the floor that well. He is slow-footed and not a defensive stopper, which means Portland has an open lane to the hoop on most occasions. Not to mention, Nurkic is not suitable for a fast-paced style of play despite posting 13.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG in the regular season. Instead of hoping Nurkic becomes someone he is not, Portland could get younger and far more athletic at center.
Naz Reid is a terrific center who is getting better by the year, posting 11.5 PPG and 4.9 RPG this season. He does not have Nurkic’s numbers but is more impactful as a shooter (34.6% from three this year) and provides a ton of energy and quickness. For a Trail Blazers team that wants to push the pace and get the ball moving quickly to Damian Lillard, Naz Reid is a better player for them.
Acquiring him means Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Knox will head to Minnesota since Karl-Anthony Towns could be leaving soon and they need a replacement. Reid is due for a nice long-term contract and the Blazers could snatch him up by losing two decent but unspectacular players for them. The first step to creating a superteam is complete.
Add Championship Experience And Leadership
Trade Package: Jerami Grant (Sign and Trade), 2023 Second-Round Pick From Atlanta, 2026 First-Round Pick From Portland for Draymond Green
Any superteam in NBA history needed a veteran presence who can defend, provide leadership, and compete to win games. That will never change and the Trail Blazers need to focus on upgrading the power forward position by acquiring four-time NBA champion Draymond Green.
Green knows he is the odd man out in Golden State after Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins signed long-term deals, and while the Los Angeles Lakers are the team many feel will target Green, Portland can snatch him up. By engaging in a sign-and-trade with Jerami Grant and including a first-round pick and second-round pick, Portland can bring in Draymond to fortify their defense.
Draymond will help fix Portland’s 27th-ranked defense by defending multiple positions and allowing Damian Lillard the freedom to score. Dame knows he has to score a ton of points to make up for the offense they concede, but that won’t be the case with a four-time NBA champion on the squad. With a more athletic center on board and a defensive specialist with title experience, the Portland Trail Blazers are on the right track towards success and just need a bonafide All-Star to compete.
Acquire An All-Star Wing In Blockbuster Trade
Trade Package: Anfernee Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, 2023 First-Round Pick for Jaylen Brown
The final piece of Portland’s superteam puzzle is adding All-Star wing Jaylen Brown. In what will be a blockbuster deal, the Trail Blazers will let go of budding All-Star Anfernee Simons along with Matisse Thybulle and a first-round pick for the services of two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown. An offense with Lillard and Brown means the Celtics have two star players who can lead the way while Green and Reid focus on defense. Not to mention, Lillard seems to be very keen on having a player of Brown’s caliber beside him.
Jaylen had a great season, posting 26.6 PPG on 49.1% shooting from the field. The swingman got it done from the perimeter and inside, while also providing above-average defense and improved playmaking. Brown has proven to be an excellent player alongside a top-10 player in the world in Jayson Tatum, so he can provide the same alongside Damian Lillard.
Jaylen also becomes the first elite star in his prime that Damian Lillard gets to play with. The swingman easily becomes the best player the point guard had alongside him and that means contention is likely to come next. Remember, Brown has made it clear that returning to the Celtics is not a foregone conclusion and rumors of wanting to become a bonafide All-NBA performer are flooding the outlets.
Of course, the shooting guard position would be open and that means 6’6” Shaedon Sharpe fills the backcourt. Sharpe shot 36.0% from three in his rookie season and could be in the mix to get more playing time as he has impressed offensively.
The Trail Blazers Ultimate Starting Lineup
Starting Lineup: Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Jaylen Brown, Draymond Green, Naz Reid
With three major deals in place, the Portland Trail Blazers are in the mix to contend. The team will still have some money for mid-level contracts and they can clear salary (up to $8 million) to land another player. Flexibility is key here since Portland will be giving away five players to bring back three.
For example, center DeMarcus Cousins still feels like he is an elite center in the game and there is no doubt about the player’s ability to use his size down low and also shoot the three. His temperament has been in question, but the man can play a backup center role effectively if he does end up cutting his Puerto Rico challenge short. Of course, the free agent pool is quite impressive this summer and there could be players who would accept a decent salary to improve depth including Will Barton, Gary Trent Jr, and Derrick Rose among others.
Damian Lillard was good enough to make the Western Conference Finals with CJ McCollum as his best teammate, so there is no reason to put it past him to get there with Jaylen Brown, Draymond Green, and Naz Reid on board. The level of scoring that Lillard and Brown can bring is exceptional, and Draymond will be a breath of fresh air as a playmaker and defender.
The major contenders in the Western Conference are the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Each of these teams has a bonafide star or two, and Portland can enter the mix with its own version of a superteam. If the team stays as-is by developing Simons and holding onto Grant, they won’t achieve much in the Wild West.
Instead, losing picks and their current assets means they can hold onto beloved franchise star Damian Lillard and give him stars who will score and defend for him. Rather than being average at best, Portland can actually contend and compete on a realistic level for the first time since the 1990s teams led by superstar Clyde Drexler. It won’t be easy waving goodbye to Nurki, Simons, and Grant, but it must be done for Portland to achieve what they set out to.
A player of Damian Lillard’s skill doesn’t come by often, which is exactly why the Trail Blazers need to hold onto him and not freely let him go. A rebuild with just Anfernee Simons as their best player is not the best scenario to be in. Competing and going all-in is the best course of action since Dame is 32 years old, Brown is 26, Sharpe is 19, and Reid is only 23 years old. That is a tremendous core to contend with now and in the future over the next few seasons. Time is of the essence for Portland, and they can’t afford to waste Damian Lillard’s prime by letting him walk or trading him for spare parts.
