Right lol. We shouldn’t be comparing dame’s situation to the buck’s situation. We need to be looking more at how the warriors did it with curry. They did it through the draft. They prioritized two way players through draft like Thompson, Barnes, and green. Then they made some great trade and signings to surround that core with. That is the path we need to take and should’ve taken a long time ago when dame was still young. I don’t want to overpay for vets
The only player that can actually push the team to the next level is Sharpe. Simons is likely already near his ceiling, especially if he keep playing next to dame. Grant is in his prime with no more development in sight. Nurk is injury prone. Our lottery pick could if we hit the right one. Watford is awful defensively and likely will be the rest of his career. Who else is gonna improve enough that’s meaningful for the team? Walker? Keon? Little? Mays? Literally only Sharpe and the lottery pick can have a development that’s significant to the team. And that’s still not enough considering the odd fit that our core already has
Guy??? Unless we're talking an absolute dominant superstar (see thread title), Portland is much more then a guy away. In regards to comparing them to the Bucks, no one has even mentioned Brook Lopez. This past season Splash Mountain spread the court with nearly 2 threes a game at a 37% clip and on the other end is in the conversation for DPOY blocking 2.5 shots a game... he's been a monster. It's stunning to me that following another dreadful year posters think the team is anywhere close to contending. For them to even be in the conversation next year they'll need to win the lotto, have Shaedon take giant steps forward, pull off a tremendous trade for Ant or Dame & then skate through the season injury free. STOMP
I think the suggestion was to give it to Chicago to get our pick back, so we wouldn't still owe Chicago a pick.
yeah, I understand that. I'm just saying that pick has enough value that it might be a mistake to just give it to Chicago on speculation. If Portland has a decent trade lined up that needs some of their future picks unencumbered then sure, use the pick to escape that dumb obligation to the Bulls. But if no trade is on the clock, I'd wonder if the most value would be in having a player on a cheap rookie scale contract. Of course, a 23rd pick is pretty speculative in and of itself....so what do I know
If we do fulfill our obligation to Chicago it will be interesting to see how Joe does that. I think the ideas being floated around are this one (the 23rd pick in this draft), 5 second rounders which if it could be done would be fantastic (heavy emphasis on fantasy) and just taking the protections off of the pick for next year's draft by sending the Bulls a protected second or some cash (this has been the going rate for a long time to guarantee a team a pick that isn't even guaranteed to ever convey, in order to free up your future picks).
As built now, your right. But lets see what happens in the Lottery, Trades, and Free Agency before going all doom and gloom. The Blazers do need luck in the Lottery to land the right to draft Wemby. Joe & his Staff need to make quality trades, and sign impactful free agents to bolster bench. Obviously they need to stay healthy. That's every team's need. But it's all possible. Not Mission Impossible .
Doom and gloom? How about being realistic of whats what here? This past season with Dame balling out they won 33 games. The year prior without Dame they won 27. They've established that they are not good and I'm dubious that other GMs are prioritizing trading for Portland's talent outside Dame & Shaedon. I laid out a rose glasses special view where they could contend next year with what would need to happen in the Lottery, trades & Shaedon progressing... I didn't discuss Free Agency because they're capped out and unlikely to land someone who could impact them. In the rosiest of scenarios like I laid out prior, Portland would need to stay extra healthy as the bench lacks quality and depth. Not Mission Impossible, it's mission win the lotto which they've a 10.5% shot at. Failing that, who do you move? Dame or Shaedon? STOMP
We will find out this summer whether current ownership is willing to pay what it would take to win. If they don't now they never will.
Getting Wemby may be the only outcome that would make it possible to make a trade this summer that would build a contender around Dame and Shaedon.
I think the point was that it would take Wemby to get back someone who would make the Blazers contenders, not that trading Wemby would be a good idea. Implying that trading anything less than Wemby wouldn’t be worth it to the Trail Blazers because of the return.
