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The Portland Trail Blazers are on notice from superstar guard Damian Lillard. The roster they have now isn't ready to compete for an NBA Championship and he desires being surrounded by parts that will allow him to compete.
If that doesn't come to fruition, it may lead to the end of the Dame era for the Portland Trail Blazers organization. In order to keep their superstars happy and committed, moves are necessary and they need to be aggressive moves.
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What 3 Players should the Portland Trail Blazers attempt to trade for this offseason?
There have been a number of star players already in the headlines this offseason and we haven't even reached the conclusion of the NBA Finals yet. In addition to the situation regarding Damian Lillard, players like Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards are being monitored by rival teams.
One of those players makes the cut for someone the Portland Trail Blazers should pursue via trade while the other doesn't, mostly because it doesn't seem reasonable for them to acquire him.
#1 Ben Simmons
The Portland Trail Blazers would be wise to aggressively pursue the Sixers ball handler in a deal centered around guard CJ McCollum. While Simmons' time in Philadelphia may need to come to a conclusion, that doesn't change the fact that he's a generational talent with a rare skillset.
The fit of Simmons alongside Joel Embiid was never ideal, but the Portland Trail Blazers can use Simmons in ways the 76ers never could. His defensive prowess would change the Portland Trail Blazers on that end of the floor.
Offensively he could take on a more off-ball role by playing next to Dame. His shooting, or lack thereof, would be at least slightly masked by using him in this way offensively.
He is a much more natural fit as the star next to Dame than McCollum is. The Portland Trail Blazers have to know their backcourt duo has run its course and getting a two-way dynamic talent like Simmons in a package built around McCollum would have to be considered a huge win.
The Sixers would also be getting a huge win as they'd get a scoring guard that forms a lethal offensive combination alongside Embiid. The fit is more natural on the 76ers side of this deal but the Portland Trail Blazers' need for change is enough to make this kind of deal well worth it for them as well.
#2 Julius Randle
The New York Knicks are always desperately searching for their next superstar player and they may not appreciate what they have in Julius Randle. The Portland Trail Blazers should try jumping in and taking advantage of the situation.
Whether or not the Knicks would value McCollum as the centerpiece of such a trade is unknown, but there are plenty of options to get around that obstacle if it arises. A three-team trade where the Knicks acquire the assets they need and possibly open up cap space for this year's free agency is one of them.
The Portland Trail Blazers would do well to complement Lillard with the versatile and passionate Randle. He would solve the power forward position that the team hasn't been able to get right for a number of years now.
Randle's playmaking ability would allow Dame to do more off ball and make his life easier over the course of the season. Despite position titles, Randle is much more of a creator than McCollum is.
The Portland Trail Blazers would have a fierce one-two punch if they were to add Randle alongside Dame.
#3 Thaddeus Young
Last but not least is a trade target that should be pursued in the event that the Portland Trail Blazers decide they want to keep their dynamic scoring backcourt together for at least one more season.
If that's the plan, the team will quickly need to address their wing position while also considering ways to upgrade the starting five as well as the bench. Veteran forward Thaddeus Young of the Chicago Bulls would be a great fit with the Portland Trail Blazers.
He is versatile on both ends of the court and brings the kind of locker room presence that any team values. Damian Lillard would surely love to have more leadership and experience in the NBA inside the Portland Trail Blazers locker room and Young provides that and a lot more.
He can fill a number of roles in the offense over the course of any game and could be a great weapon to get the ball to both Lillard and McCollum in areas they can attack from right away. That would be an easy way to open up the scoring efficiency of both players.
One way or another, the Portland Trail Blazers are going to see changes made this offseason. Some trade targets make a lot more sense than others and the organization would be wise to pursue these players before moving on to anyone else.
