The Portland Trail Blazers, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins and the rest of their squad are currently 8-6, tied in the fifth division with the San Antonio Spurs. Although it is still very early in the season, the Blazers are not starting out as many expected of them. In addition, the team is now in a fight with the injury bug.
Pivot Jusuf Nurkic and point guard CJ McCollum – who was just starting his career – must waste a lot of time. They will join striker Zach Collins behind the scenes. As the Western Conference is set up, the current injury list can easily take Portland out of the playoffs, a situation the Blazers don’t want to repeat.
To avoid being there again, here are three panic button deals that Blazers need to do.
Blazing targets:
3. Al Horford
The Blazers lost their depth on the bass with Nurkic’s injury – who has already fallen with Collins off the pitch.
Now they need to rely on Kanter to occupy the middle. Knowing that the Oklahoma City Thunder is entering reconstruction mode, the Blazers can trade for Al Horford.
Horford is a trusted veterinarian who has made deep plays in the playoffs. He can bust the three, facilitate and defend his position if the Blazers catch him.
The delay would be Horford’s contract. Your current league status does not match your contract. The Blazers would probably have to give up all four choices in the 2021 runoff draft along with Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons.
The Thunder would welcome four young and elastic, in Little, and a rising shipowner – who could play with and behind Shau Giuldreos Alexander. Blazers would receive a solid scoring threat that proved their worth in the playoffs. With the current state of the Western Conference, they may have to clench their teeth and make this deal.
2. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber
Moving to a younger possibility, the Blazers may decide that the Lillard McCollum era is coming to an end and decide to switch McCollum.
The Dallas Mavericks is another team that didn’t get the start it hoped for and may need to change things. They could use a player of McCollum’s stature not only to serve as another ace in their starting lineup, but also as a leader in the locker room. The Mavs are young and talented, but they do not have the necessary experience to play competitive games.
Blazers are fun and exciting, but their backcourt is too small to defend in the postseason. Adding Tim Hardawy Jr. to the starting lineup or the bank would give the Blazers a natural defense court – longitudinally. Maxi Kleber is not the big type that protects the rim, but it can burst all three and is very young. For what the Blazers want to do in the attack, surrounding Lillard with quality snipers is a must. Portland would receive two three-point shooters with no history of injuries.
McCollum, with the Blazers, is undersized for both slots, but Luka Doncic is an extremely tall guard, so he cancels. McCollum would be able to protect his natural position, and the Mavs would have a great defender on the ball to protect the elite shipowners at their conference.
Dallas would probably have to play his first round pick for 2023 for the Blazers as well.
Target of the best blazers:
1. Lonzo Ball
Blazers rely on McCollum and Lillard to be their creators every minute of every game. This formula has not worked in the past, and now that McCollum has been out for some time, they will need someone else they can create for others.
Pelicans have that person. Lonzo Ball is an elite player and defends at a high level – an area in which Portland’s current defense field fights.
Portland has high hopes and aspirations every year. They play well in the regular season, gain too much and then lose their pace in the playoffs. They fight in the playoffs because they are an undersized backcourt with a defensive passive and another undersized defender. Damian Lillard is a discouraging defender. He struggles to stay in front of the ball and is usually the guy behind the rotation. McCollum is actually a great defender, but he is only 6’3 and has to defend both slots – a position that sees players 6’6 and above.
The ball is 6’6 with a wingspan of 6’9. Not only is he in front of the ball, he is also an excellent side defender. He showed that he can play outside the ball and, with Lillard as a Blazers teammate, he would have more space to attack the basket.
On his current team, he has to play the role of a free-kick pitcher, something that has not been his strong point in the league – although he has shown improvements. With Blazers, he won’t have to be a three-point sniper. Instead, he will be able to be an assassin who can also shoot the ball – his real game.
The Blazers will then be able to stagger Ball and Lillard’s minutes to ensure there is an ace on the floor at all times, and they will also have someone they can create for Dame – taking a load off of him.
This move updates them defensively and offensively and will not force them to break the bank, as Ball is still in his rookie contract. Blazers would be able to exchange Rodney Hood for Bola upside down.
The Blazers would win an ace and the Pelicans would add a credible three-point threat to open the tracks for Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
