Don't trade the pick

[HansenYang]

Well Bridges and Claxton would be a nice start with the # 3 / Nurk . And the Blazers haven't even reached into their other future capital yet. What could Ant , plus 2 to 3 1st get?

That would be a home run for Portland.

I would likely go into the season with Dame/Sharpe/Bridges/Grant/Claxton with Ant off the bench, and keep the options open during the season to upgrade.

 

[wizenheimer]

Thanks for checking all my posts. And you know I'm a bigger picture guy. If you think I meant just today, that would be very inconsistent with how I post. But you knew that and there was the predictable response.

#muchappreciated

you said Portland has been "rebuilding for 10 years". I disagreed and explained why. You haven't said one word about what I said about rebuilding...you have just taken it in a real fucking weird "look at me" direction

 

[Natebishop3]

you mentioned wanting to see a championship in your lifetime. I'm 71 so there's a lot less sand left in my hourglass than a lot of people have. Meaning I have to accept it is very unlikely to happen before that last grain of sand drops down

also meaning that my gauges for Portland are a little different. The first Blazer game I attended was in 1970. A friend's father had season tickets and took me to a game against Milwaukee. They had Kareem and Bob Dandridge; IIRC the Bucks ended up winning the championship that season. That was Portland's 1st season

and I have avidly followed the Blazers since then. Thru Wicks/Petrie-->Walton/Lucas-->Clyde/Buck-->Pippen/Sabonis. And after 53 years, I consider Dame to be the best Blazer ever. And a big factor in that, after all the defections of guys like Walton & Clyde, Dame's loyalty to the franchise is a big part of why I regard him as the best Blazer ever

I don't give a shit that he hasn't brought a championship to Portland. That's not him; that's on Paul Allen & Neil Olshey.

so in my mind, Dame has earned the 'right' to remain a Blazer if that's what he wants to do. I'll also remind you that I've several times said I'd prefer to keep the pick than trade it

Yeah but you have gotten to see us win one. I have not. I have only known heartbreak.

 

[wizenheimer]

Yeah but you have gotten to see us win one. I have not. I have only known heartbreak.

yes...I was watching on the TV with a couple of friends. Game 6 in Portland. Fucking Brent Mussberger calling the plays. And goddamn fucking CBS cut away from coverage shortly after the win for the Kemper fucking Open. Didn't get to see the celebrations afterward like they have for about every other championship

went out with the friends and played some hoops in the afternoon after the win. Went out that night and maybe, just maybe, got drunk

 

[AldoTrapani]

Maybe your problems and few of the Dame detractor's. Most people i've talked to want to build around Dame.

Dude he’s about to be 33 and who wins titles building around point guards? Curry is rare bc he had 2 other Hall of Famers

 

[BassPlaya]

I have to agree with Aaron Fentress:

Aaron J. Fentress @AaronJFentress
The Trail Blazers would have a better shot at winning a title by going all in and acquiring two impact players now than they would by trading Damian Lillard and hoping that a bunch of kids develop into championship-caliber stars. And, they remain in Portland.

...but that doesn't point out that should that fail.....the carnage would likely be much farther reaching. Many, many years farther.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Read what's being said about Miller & Scoot, and how high teams are on them. Then you might reassess the value of that pick.

Oh boy

 

[Natebishop3]

yes...I was watching on the TV with a couple of friends. Game 6 in Portland. Fucking Brent Mussberger calling the plays. And goddamn fucking CBS cut away from coverage shortly after the win for the Kemper fucking Open. Didn't get to see the celebrations afterward like they have for about every other championship

went out with the friends and played some hoops in the afternoon after the win. Went out that night and maybe, just maybe, got drunk

Just once I would love to experience that.

 

[SIeepwalker]

Dude, this isn’t remotely close to reality

Well, he said that Bridges/Claxton would be nice for #3/Nurk which I have to agree with, it would be pretty fucking nice.
He never said it was realistic

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Scoot/Sharpe/Jaylen Brown/Grant/Robert Williams + picks is pretty fucking intriguing...

especially when combined with giving Dame a great shot at a title.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

that's true

what is also then true is we don't know what the trade market for Dame is. So how can we slam the brakes on a 'build-around-Dame-path' when we don't know the market for Blazers assets, while not slamming the brakes on the 'trade-Dame-path' when we don't know the market for Dame?

On the one hand you can say none of us will ever know the market until we hear a trade is agreed to.

On the other hand, many of us have followed the NBA very closely for decades, understand the CBA, pay attention to other players and teams making similar trades, and have a reasonable basis to give an estimate of what these markets might be.

Of course there are bad estimations on either direction, its going to be an inexact estimate, but exploring reasonable trade ideas is probably the main reason I'm on this site.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Blazers Comfortable Keeping No. 3 Pick

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/271623/Blazers-Comfortable-Keeping-No-3-Pick

The Portland Trail Blazers have been widely expected to seriously entertain trading out of the No. 3 pick in order to maximize the window of Damian Lillard, but a deal may not materialize that vaunts them into true contender status and that would lead them to keep the pick. The Blazers will consider whichever player between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson is not selected at No. 2, as well as Ausar Thompson, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

"I don't see them trading it either, honestly," said Jonathan Givony on Zach Lowe's podcast. "I think they would be very happy with Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson.

"I also think they're going to kick the tires on the Thompson twins and Cam Whitmore.

"I think this is going to be a process here where they're looking at a lot of different options."

Lowe expressed surprise that Givony expects them to keep the pick.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

would you agree that if Dame doesn't want to be traded Portland shouldn't trade him?

I think thats a very personal fan decision and theres no right or wrong answer.

From a pure asset perspective it makes sense to trade Dame if there is no realistic way to build a contender with him in the next few seasons. He is in his prime and has great value throughout the league.

Also what is available at pick #3? If its Scoot then its an odd fit to have Dame/Ant/Scoot all in the backcourt. But who knows, maybe one of them becomes a super 6th man and we have the all time highest scoring guard lineup in the history of basketball. I'd love to see that roster play some games even if there is a comical nature to it.

I do believe there is a value in Dame being the best Blazer ever and the franchise showing him loyalty in return. It gives the Lakers a bit of aura, the Spurs with Pop, that they've stuck by their players. Compared that to the Bulls organization basically running Phil Jackson out of town and not doing everything to praise Jordan his final seasons. Can leave a good or bad taste on everyone's mouth for many decades.

So personally I'm fine keeping Dame in Portland, planning for him to retire as a Blazer. If the Blazers are rebuilding he can play the Kobe role his final years, or Reggie Miller having young players like Jermain Oneal grow with the franchise. Plus who knows, if the Blazers build with some youth right now for a few years they might be in a position to contend with Dame as an old Dallas Jason Kidd role. It just might take a few more years than Dame would prefer.

The main thing I'm not fine with is seeing the Blazers trade away #3 pick, Sharpe, future 1st, and possibly even Ant for a bunch of mediocre veterans that don't give the team a path to immediately contend.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Blazers Comfortable Keeping No. 3 Pick

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/271623/Blazers-Comfortable-Keeping-No-3-Pick

The Blazers absolutely need to make people believe this in order to get the best return.

 

[Natebishop3]

The Blazers absolutely need to make people believe this in order to get the best return.

I think at the end of the day, it's going to depend on whether we value Scoot/Miller more than we value Bridges/Siakam, and vice versa. If we decide that Bridges is worth it, I could see us sending out the 3 and some future picks if we can get Chicago to take the NY pick.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

I think at the end of the day, it's going to depend on whether we value Scoot/Miller more than we value Bridges/Siakam, and vice versa. If we decide that Bridges is worth it, I could see us sending out the 3 and some future picks if we can get Chicago to take the NY pick.

If you had a second deal lined up for Ant going out to net something that would be great.

 

[TBpup]

you said Portland has been "rebuilding for 10 years". I disagreed and explained why. You haven't said one word about what I said about rebuilding...you have just taken it in a real fucking weird "look at me" direction

Lol.....guess I'm just not as fascinated with your posts. Full of good information, but damn, take it personal much?

Rebuilding is relative if you really want a reply. We haven't been good so we have been in a rebuilding situation whether we were doing it at all, doing it well, or doing it poorly. We haven't been close to a legit contender for decades. It would be nice to to something more properly for once.

#enjoy your day.

 

[Natebishop3]

If you had a second deal lined up for Ant going out to net something that would be great.

I think Ant needs to go, one way or another.

 

[wizenheimer]

Blazers Comfortable Keeping No. 3 Pick

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/271623/Blazers-Comfortable-Keeping-No-3-Pick

this could just be smoke....could be the Blazers trying to pump up the value of their pick. Might get better offers if it's the prevailing wisdom Portland might keep the pick after all

for myself, without any inside info at all, I don't think Portland keeping the pick is that far-fetched. The odds are probably with trading it, but it might be less than 60-40 odds at this point: maybe closer to to 50-50. And that could change if some player wows the FO in the workouts/interviews. I don't think the Blazers hired Mike Schmitz while planning to trade away a bunch of 1st's

I also don't buy the idea that Dame asks out if Portland keeps the pick. That would mean the Blazers didn't get any compelling offers and Dame would know that

 

[Natebishop3]

this could just be smoke....could be the Blazers trying to pump up the value of their pick. Might get better offers if it's the prevailing wisdom Portland might keep the pick after all

I think the value depends on who Charlotte picks.

There will be some teams that want Scoot, and some teams that want Miller. I think Scoot will have more value and teams will want to wait and see if he's there at 3.

If he has high enough value, I could see Charlotte trading back.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

this could just be smoke....could be the Blazers trying to pump up the value of their pick. Might get better offers if it's the prevailing wisdom Portland might keep the pick after all

for myself, without any inside info at all, I don't think Portland keeping the pick is that far-fetched. The odds are probably with trading it, but it might be less than 60-40 odds at this point: maybe closer to to 50-50. And that could change if some player wows the FO in the workouts/interviews. I don't think the Blazers hired Mike Schmitz while planning to trade away a bunch of 1st's

I also don't buy the idea that Dame asks out if Portland keeps the pick. That would mean the Blazers didn't get any compelling offers and Dame would know that

Agree with all this. If Scoot or someone else completely wows them and the offers aren't good enough, they can definitely keep it. It was Dame that recognized the deal for #7 wasn't good enough. Let's hope the workouts go well and they value the pick significantly. That way either they get more value or they keep the pick.

 

[wizenheimer]

Lol.....guess I'm just not as fascinated with your posts. Full of good information, but damn, take it personal much?

Rebuilding is relative if you really want a reply. We haven't been good so we have been in a rebuilding situation whether we were doing it at all, doing it well, or doing it poorly. We haven't been close to a legit contender for decades. It would be nice to to something more properly for once.

#enjoy your day.

you overestimate your impact....I rarely take anything personal here

you said "Portland had been rebuilding for 10 years" which means pretty specific things to me. I replied, I didn't make any comment about you or your posting style or you stalking me or anything weird or personal like you did when you replied. Just stated an opinion that Portland has not rebuilt since Dame arrived, except for maybe when Aldridge left, but since they didn't add a single 1st round pick to the roster for 3 straight years at that time, it wasn't much of a rebuild. Going from Aldridge-Matthews-Batum-Lopez to Aminu-Harkless-Davis-Plumlee wasn't a rebuild as much as it was trading a Mustang for a Corvair

I think right now is the closest Portland has been to a rebuild since Dame arrived

 

[Pinwheel1]

I think the value depends on who Charlotte picks.

There will be some teams that want Scoot, and some teams that want Miller. I think Scoot will have more value and teams will want to wait and see if he's there at 3.

If he has high enough value, I could see Charlotte trading back.

Good point although they would need to like someone else about the same. It will be interesting to see which teams Scoot and Miller work out for that draft after us.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I have to agree with Aaron Fentress:

Aaron J. Fentress @AaronJFentress
The Trail Blazers would have a better shot at winning a title by going all in and acquiring two impact players now than they would by trading Damian Lillard and hoping that a bunch of kids develop into championship-caliber stars. And, they remain in Portland.

This is true with the following qualifiers:
Better shot IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS
"Better" means getting bounced in the first round instead of competing for the worst record in the league. Neither rises to "good," but the latter will give us another high lottery pick.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Why are we assuming it's only Scoot or Miller? Cam Whitmore needs to be in the conversation, and I would also include Anthony Black from Arkansas and Jarace Walker. I guess the Thompson twins have their fans, too. Walker or Whitmore would probably be the most immediate and best fit, but I really like Anthony Black. He seems the most likely to be a Jalen Williams-type surprise.

 

[blazerfan11]

Agree with all this. If Scoot or someone else completely wows them and the offers aren't good enough, they can definitely keep it. It was Dame that recognized the deal for #7 wasn't good enough. Let's hope the workouts go well and they value the pick significantly. That way either they get more value or they keep the pick.

I don't know how Scoot won't completely wow them.

 

[e_blazer]

This is true with the following qualifiers:
Better shot IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS
"Better" means getting bounced in the first round instead of competing for the worst record in the league. Neither rises to "good," but the latter will give us another high lottery pick.

I can only assume that you have an inside source telling you who Joe’s getting, otherwise this would just be pure speculation. I will note that the plan to do a total rebuild has the Blazers on the same timeline as Wemby’s Spurs, so you may want to factor that in before scheduling the parade.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I can only assume that you have an inside source telling you who Joe’s getting, otherwise this would just be pure speculation.

I know who he's NOT getting: anyone who will get us past the first round.

I will note that the plan to do a total rebuild has the Blazers on the same timeline as Wemby’s Spurs, so you may want to factor that in before scheduling the parade.

One reason a tiny part of me is glad we didn't get Wemby is because I wouldn't want to be resting all my hopes and dreams on that spindly frame.

 

[e_blazer]

I know who he's NOT getting: anyone who will get us past the first round.

Oh, well you didn’t mention that you had positive proof.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

More Im looking at Scoot and Miller the more I want to keep one. Draft whoever falls and figure out the Dame situation later. Dame either sticks with Portland, or both sides work to a trade if he prefers.

I'd hold out crazy firm in trade offers for #3. Just plan that we won't get enough so we're keeping the pick. Not even sure I want to do Ant and 3 for Jaylen Brown. Only trade I could see really making sense from the Blazers end is with the Nets:

Bridges and Claxton for Nurk and #3.

Blazers upgrade center and get a massive forward upgrade. They keep Ant in a 3 guard rotation with Dame and Sharpe. They still have some depth, and still have future picks.

I'd assume that's too little from Brooklyn's end. Fine, then we keep the pick and get a 19 year old stud instead on a rookie deal who may be a superstar. We tell Dame we tried, just nobody would give us fair veteran value. The #3 pick in a draft with three #1 level talents is worth way too much to accept less than an amazing trade return.