Accept Miami Deal or bring Lillard to Camp?

Yeah, right. Softest big man in the league.

Nurkic abused Steven Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. when Lillard wasn't around to "save the day."





Nurk took a shot right into JJJ's face, which brought JJJ to the ground and earned him another personal foul.

 

they won't be getting their own pick back. They might be able to coerce OKC into accepting the 2026 unprotected and deleting the 2025 pick from the encumbrance. That's what would allow the 2024 pick to be conveyed. But with Dame on Miami that pick will pretty much suck and be at the end of the first round

that would give Miami their 2024, 2028, and 2029 firsts available. They absolutely need to be unprotected but I'd bet Riley isn't offering either of the 2028/2030 unprotected. It would also make available their 2029 pick for a swap. Some people keep blahblahyapping about 2025 & 2027 swaps. But Portland can't guarantee the swap because their encumbrance to Chicago runs thru 2028. Those conditional swaps are worth jack shit

 

Pick swaps with a well run team are essentially meaningless.
Late 1sts are hoping for something good and doing well is getting a quality 6th man.
Jaquez and Jovic -- hoping they become starters, maybe.
That a whole bunch of hoping. The Miami trade is about what Herro could bring in a 3-team (or more) trade if Herro is balling out to begin the season.
In other words, Miami is a seriously bad trade partner for the Blazers.

 

And that logic is the same logic that values 1st round picks. They might develop into good players, but most amount to jack squat. Especially lower ones we'd likly be getting from a team that gets Dame.

 

Jovic had good game against South Sudan. In serious games he had zero impact on the game.

 

Ha Ha Ha? Nurk ABUSED Steven Adams???
You actually wrote that?
Finding a game here and there where Nurk played well is easily offset by the multitude of games he sucked. This is much like making a highlight package that makes a player look like an All-Star.
We have all watched him for years now. I certainly know better. You should also. I find it humorous that you show one highlight package that has him making what you call a great pass to Lillard and then follow it up with "When Lillard wasn't around to save the day". Makes it sound like you feel Lillard has been holding him back. I wonder if i could build a highlight package of Nurk blunders? How tough would that be?

 

What isn't talked about:

Could the Blazers sale be currently in progress behind closed doors? This changes the ballgame about how Dame is handled .

Or stuff like this never not get reported?

 

Here’s how it’s going to go down, and Riley is counting on this: the Blazers will be so tired of trying to make a deal, and so eager to start the season with Scoot at the point guard position, that they will surrender and take Miami’s best offer. This is an endurance game. Riley knows Portland doesn’t want to send Lilliard to a place where he’s unhappy, or they would have done that already. So he is content to sit back and wait for Portland to finally cave.

Riley’s ace card is that Miami was in the finals last year, which means even if they don’t get Lillard, they’re still pretty good. So he’s not desperate.

 

He's giving four hypothetical deals but saying three aren't likely and don't make sense. Hmmm, seems intellectually honest ... or wait, no, it seems like another article from the "world-wide leader" carrying water for Dame and the Heat.

 

And I have little doubt that he's pressing his media pals to keep writing stories like this in the hopes it makes the Blazers blink.

 

I think Joe will try to send Dame to a team where he has a chance to win. But I also think the reason he has not yet made a trade to a team other than Miami is that no one has made an offer. So Riley might be content now, but at some point, Dame might finally cave as well.

 

Bring Lillard back to camp. He will buy in with this young core, be their mentor and we win it all in 2025-26.

 

We need forwards, and Jovic and Jaquez are forward prospects. With the latter portion of the draft being mostly a crap shoot, what are the true odds that we'll get a better prospect if we draft them ourselves in the future? You might prefer a pick, but I don't see a huge drop off here.

 

It's a guarantee one of the 2025 or 2027 swaps would convey; Blazers can't lose both picks to Chicago.

Ideally if Herro or Martin is routed for a 2027 pick then that swap could be guaranteed. I'm not as concerned with 2025 as Heat are much more likely to be good then. The goal should be something such as unprotected picks in 2028+2030 with unprotected swaps in 2027+2029.

 

With Dame and Butler being in their 40's and Riley being in his 80's I totally disagree those swaps are meaningless.

They are not a guarantee. They could be worth nothing. But they could be the most valuable piece in the trade package. The more "roll of the dice" assets the Blazers get with big upside the better.

I'd certainly rather have those swaps than Jaquez and likely than Jovic. Could either of the players be very good? Sure. Could either of them be total busts? Yes. None of these trade peices are guaranteed. Obviously some fans value these assets differently. But when Miami has questionable value to give up the Blazers should get all of these assets they can.