Trade Idea Realistic trade options for summer of 2023

Porzingis for #23 Nurk Little Keon Knox. Sign Naz Reid for the MLE.

Dame Mays
Ant (Scoot or Miller)
Sharpe Thybulle
Grant Watford
Porzingis Reid Eubanks

 

Every time you list a depth chart with Ant starting next to Dame I get sick to my stomach. That back court sucks on defense and is less than the sum of its parts on offense.

 

This

 

he's a committed Ant-Believer....wait, wasn't that a Monkees song?

" I thought Ant was something meant for Fairy Tales
" Meant for other teams but not for mine
" But Ant was out to get me, couldn't be denied

" then I saw his shot, now I'm a believer
" thoughts about his defense....never enter my mind
" ooh ooh I'm an Ant-believer I'll pretend he's 6 foot nine

 

Does this mean Ant will be on the Last Train to Clarksville?

 

might not leave the station, but I'm pretty sure Ant won't be leaving on the same train that brings #6 back to Portland. That's daydream believing

 

Yeah, I feel like 6 would only come back if Scoot at 3 was going out. I still look at that team and think if they like Scoot enough they might give us Franz and 6 or 11 for Scoot... I don't know if I'd be cool with Franz and 11 but Franz and 6 would work for me. I could probably get on board with 3 and Nurk for Franz, WCJ and 11.

I could see Ant and 23 for WCJ and 11.

 

If Beal goes to Phoenix for Ayton, Gafford will be available. I know the Blazers like Gafford.

 

Delon Wright fits right into our TPE...

 

Haha yeah I don't want to trade Ant.

To help you out maybe I should post more Dame trade ideas.

 

Does.a TPE have any value with a Jody as an owner?

 

Yeah, if you want Ant to start you should definitely be in the "trade Dame" camp. They do not work together but just understand that if you're in the trade Dame camp you're also in the "loyalty means absolutely nothing to us despite the fact that we're in a small market that is the furthest away from any other market in the NBA" camp.

 

I don't know... did we acquire Jerami Grant without giving up a single player because we had a huge TPE just about a year ago?

 

Hes my #1 target fir the TPE.
Keon for Wright... make it so

 

I'm probably one of the few equally in keep or trade Dame camp.

The thing is the Blazers aren't contending this year IMO, roster doesn't have enough flexibility going back to recent decisions such as the poor Clippers trade. So I think the team should draft BPA at 3 and keep young talents like Ant.

If Dame wants to stay keep him. If he wants to leave that's his choice and the Blazers can go forward without harming the future of the brand of whatever your concern is.

 

We acquired Grant primarily from the 1st round pick which turned into Jalen Duren. Yeah we used 1 TPE, but I'd suspect we could've acquired him with minimal additional cost if we had neutral value expiring contracts or such instead.

Blazers have had many chances to use other salary slots in recent years or add flexibility to improve the team and haven't, instead pocketing cash every time (Nance, Bledsoe, Ingels, Hart, Wiseman, other TPEs, etc)

 

We definitely aren't contending if we just take the BPA at 3 and keep Ant.

For someone who values Ant so much it's weird that you don't think we could get an impact player for him... we for sure can get an impact player with pick 3 and matching salaries. Two high impact players added to Dame, Jerami and Shae would probably be a contending starting lineup.

If Joe can put together a bench to go with that then I have to say we would be contenders this year. We already have one really high quality bench piece that we have control over in free agency in Matisse, we have the TPMLE, if we can get two other bench contributors in ways other contenders have done it by finding vet min guys trying to rejuvenate their careers, min salary GLeaguers who just haven't been given the chance or drafting a jewel later in the draft, I think we can do special things.

I know that's a lot of ifs but it's always a lot of ifs that go right that builds a contender.

 

First not sure how you count acquiring two impact players, that's what I meant about lack of flexibility, we don't have contracts to pair with just #3 so we are likely forced to put Ant and 3 into one deal.

I'm not sure what you mean by impact player. If it's Bridges or Brown or Zion ok maybe that works. Still probably unlikely, but it's a nonzero chance of becoming a contender so I guess I may be ok with it. However I suspect there's a good chance if not highly likely none of these deals are available.

None of the other names such as Ingram, Siakam Ayton Porzingis etc will have the Blazers contend so no I'm not trading Ant or 3 for them. Well maybe Ant alone for Siakam, but no I don't think that's available either.

 

Let's say we acquire Zion for pick 3, Nurk, Nas, Knox and Keon (yes that works for salary matching purposes), especially with how much you value Ant we should be able to get an impact player for Ant and 23... not to mention Joe having said many times that we would be willing to do what it takes to use future picks for the right player. I think a guy like Myles Turner is an impact player and I think Ant is a great fit next to Halibuton, if they like Ant as much as you do Ant and 23 could be enough for Turner and Nembhard.

 

Just throwing a new twist into the trade brainstorming discussion.

A trade based around Dame for the #2 pick.

We draft both Scoot and Miller. This trade should also create a nice chunk of cap space to work with.