It's been oft mentioned here that a player like Paul George, if not Paul George himself, is our missing piece. We offered all three picks and Harkless to the Pacers back in 2017 (I think) and the Pacers said no. In light of PG's disappearance in the playoffs and his lackadaisical attitude, it has been mentioned on podcasts I respect that the Clippers may look into trading him. Do we still want him? He has a bad attitude and always has an excuse in big games. And he made fun of Dame last month. BUT-- on the Blazers, he could settle in as our 4th option and there wouldn't be as much pressure on him. Considering how badly he played, he might be had for less than usual. They'll be looking for competitors. Someone like Gary Trent Jr could really appeal to them. So would you trade GTJ + our 1st round pick + Trevor Ariza for PG13? If I were the Clippers, I would take the trade right away, esp since they get a good pick back after giving up all their picks to OKC. And we keep our Dame/CJ/Nurk core. Dame/Adams CJ/Simons PG/Hood Collins/Melo Nurkic/MLE (M Gasol?) Championship team?
That’s nowhere near enough for PG. Yes, PG didn’t show up when it mattered, but that doesn’t mean they’ll give him up for nothing. Gary Trent is a good piece, but that’s where the interest on their side ends. Gary is going to be a great player for us, but I doubt any of us expect him to become equal to or better than SGA. In addition to giving up SGA, they also gave up Gallinari and like 4 1st rounders over the next 5-6 years, why would they accept only one back? Gallinari is still worth more than Ariza. Clippers don’t even consider this. What their collapse did do though is give us a chance to trade for any of their role players. Lou Williams and Montrez Harrell both did not show up in the bubble and could be moved. Months ago, a Harrell and Whiteside side-and-trade didn’t seem like a remote possibility. Don’t know if the Clippers would want him, but I see them as a team that wants to pick up the big names. Would Whiteside take $10m a year to play in LA? Clippers need more size. Not totally sure what Harrell’s value is, but with his collapse in production, I see him being a possible add. Could Ariza and Simons and a 1st bring in Lou? Who knows. But one thing is for sure, if the Blazers are getting any Clippers, it won’t be PG, at least not without including CJ in the trade.
This is a full panic mode move by them if it ever happened. I think Jerry West knows better than that. They ll run it back and fix a few details.
And Lillard had a 26 PER regular season and an 18 PER this post season 2 years ago he went from a 25 PER to a 9.5 PER in the playoffs This isn’t to bash Dame, but maybe together they can both improve come playoff time.
Same. I think Trent at SG between Lillard and George would be better than CJ being between them. We all know when CJ ain’t scoring he doesn’t provide much value anywhere else. Lillard/Trent/George would be really similar to Curry/Thompson/Durant. I think George under Lillard leadership would thrive here much like how Nurkic has blossom here. He’s already a great talent but I am saying that he would play with greater passion much like Butler has in Miami
I think Neil would do it in a nano second if he knew PG wanted to be here. He's the type of player that wouldn't think twice about leaving a small market like Portland regardless of team.
Might be a careful-what-you-wish-for situation. The potential of a Dame/Paul George pairing would be out of this world, but dude is petulant and doesn't seem to be loyal to anyone but himself. And call me pessimistic, but I can't see Olshey pulling something like this off. He doesn't seem to buy high very often...
Anyone that says no is just foolish! The Blazers have a hell of a time just getting high caliber all star players to even come play in Portland. When they finally do they are Carmelo's age. Oh and how many really good years does Dame have left again?