Trade Idea Vote After #3 Pick - Blazers first off season priority

[Hoopguru]

Perhaps, but the Lakers are in the WCF and they have been brutal from '3' all year.
The Nuggets are in the WCF and although very efficient, shot the 2nd least '3's in the league this year from what I heard on the DP show.
The Heat aren't really a '3' shooting team either.

Only the Celtics of the final 4 teams are a team that shoots a lot of '3's and shoots them well.

Talking to a number of fans at the Draft party last night, some felt Dame was holding the team hostage a bit. They love him and want him to win a ring, but it is highly unlikely that happens here. In the meantime, the franchise is stuck with 'what do we do that Dame wants or he might ask to leave'. Yes, he's been loyal, but someone pointed out how much money he has been paid for that loyalty. I'd be pretty loyal for that amount as well. There was one person there that said keep Dame no matter what. When I asked him what the Blazers combined regular season and Playoff record was over the last 4 years with Dame, he changed the subject.

Blazer fan first. Do what is best for the team. Trying to mortgage high lottery picks, young talent and future 1st round picks for a player that likely doesn't put us over the top seems like a huge risk.

There is as much risk or more by drafting a young player versus an already made all star type. That player doesn't need to be 34 year sold like Jimmy Butler.

 

[wizenheimer]

That goes both ways. Who are these imaginary assets that we will get for Dame? If #3 can't get us value then how good would those picks help us in a rebuild after trading Dame? Picks that will not be nearly as good as #3. Our fans could barely handle the last two years, let alone another 5 years.

you're not supposed to turn their logic back on them...the trade Dame crowd is on a roll this morning, carpet bombing the forum with their certainty

I've actually seen some of them say these would be good trades:

* Dame for Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, and 2 or 3 first round picks in 2027-2029

* Dame for Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and a 2030 first

I'm about 89% convinced that if Portland, at this point in time, starts shopping Dame, the rest of the NBA will know he's asked to be traded and those two trades are examples of what Portland will be offered

 

[AngryFan]

I thought you wanted to trade Dame. It sounds like you are making an argument not to.....because there is no way in hell we are getting back a player that is better than Dame.

I do want to trade dame... because there is no way in hell we are getting back a player better than Dame.

 

[e_blazer]

If the Suns can't win with fucking Kevin Durant, who the fuck are we supposed to get to "push us over the hump"? This is so fucking stupid it hurts. (To be clear - I'm not talking about YOU, you're just the messenger of what does appear to be the FO thinking.)

I think the Kevin Durant thinking is part of the problem around here and, to some extent, the NBA in general. Teams and fans have gotten so wrapped up in the All-Star part of roster building that they forget about the team aspect. The Suns gutted their roster to get Durant and then the totally predictable injury to CP3 derailed them entirely. The Lakers couldn’t do jack with Davis and LeBron until the in-season trade allowed them to fill out their roster. With apologies to Murray, the Nuggets only have one superstar. They have other very good players and a ton of depth. I’ll take that model of team building over three egos and a bunch of mismatched parts any day.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I do want to trade dame... because there is no way in hell we are getting back a player better than Dame.

I see. You were referring to the return on a trade that did not include Dame. I thought you were referring to a trade that included Dame.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

you're not supposed to turn their logic back on them...the trade Dame crowd is on a roll this morning, carpet bombing the forum with their certainty

I've actually seen some of them say these would be good trades:

* Dame for Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, and 2 or 3 first round picks in 2027-2029

* Dame for Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and a 2030 first

I'm about 89% convinced that if Portland, at this point in time, starts shopping Dame, the rest of the NBA will know he's asked to be traded and those two trades are examples of what Portland will be offered

Then just keep Dame and wait. The Nets waited on Durant trades and eventually got Bridges plus 4 firsts. The Jazz were patient with Gobert and Mitchell trades getting a boatload for each.

Makes sense to consider Dame trades if the team can get a huge haul and is committed to rebuilding. If those offers are nowhere close to reasonable offers then there are no serious discussions to be had and no rumors to worry about.

Blazers shouldn't make an ultimatum to do any move no matter the cost; acquire vet, trade #3, trade Dame, trade Ant, add OG, etc. It all depends on the assets going out or coming back, which is the job of all GM's.

If the Blazers have trade discussions that makes them a contender then yes explore it. If the Blazers are offered a massive Dame haul that may get them close to contend many years from now after a rebuild then yes explore it. If none of those happen, then just bring the band back together and wait for other situations to change in the league. Superstars become available every season, and teams get tempted to overpay to acquire a superstar every season. Smart GM's get the most value on one side or the other of such a trade.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I think the Kevin Durant thinking is part of the problem around here and, to some extent, the NBA in general. Teams and fans have gotten so wrapped up in the All-Star part of roster building that they forget about the team aspect. The Suns gutted their roster to get Durant and then the totally predictable injury to CP3 derailed them entirely. The Lakers couldn’t do jack with Davis and LeBron until the in-season trade allowed them to fill out their roster. With apologies to Murray, the Nuggets only have one superstar. They have other very good players and a ton of depth. I’ll take that model of team building over three egos and a bunch of mismatched parts any day.

Also heard a good comment from @BonesJones that the changes to the take foul rule have made that depth even more valuable. Now a team with only 5 quality rotation players will get exhausted by the 4th, whereas in prior playoffs the pace was lower, the game slowed down, and stars could rest.

So we might see a trend of teams with 8-9 quality players beating thinner rosters even if their superstars are a tad inferior.

 

[inconceivable]

Most assume Dame will ask to be traded if we don't trade the pick.

If Scoot is who's available, then yeah Dame won't be cool with us drafting him for sure

If Miller, maybe a slight chance Dame is ok with it?

 

[FlashWad]

Scoot or miller will be better than any player we trade for. We will definitely regret it later.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

I think one of the only deals that makes sense is getting back Bridges, Claxton, and Finney-Smith.

While I think Siakam is the best player out of who is likely, his age, fit next to Grant, and impending free agency make me shy away from getting him.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I think one of the only deals that makes sense is getting back Bridges, Claxton, and Finney-Smith.

While I think Siakam is the best player out of who is likely, his age, fit next to Grant, and impending free agency make me shy away from getting him.

Yeah I think whoever posted it that a Brooklyn Portland trade makes a ton of sense one direction or the other. Blazers could send a lot of youth for those 3. Or Blazers could send Dame for a lot of youth/picks in return. As is both teams are in half win now half rebuild positions that don't seem ideal.

 

[Chris Craig]

Yeah I think whoever posted it that a Brooklyn Portland trade makes a ton of sense one direction or the other. Blazers could send a lot of youth for those 3. Or Blazers could send Dame for a lot of youth/picks in return. As is both teams are in half win now half rebuild positions that don't seem ideal.

If we send them Dame (which I don't want) they send us the fucking farm.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

If we send them Dame (which I don't want) they send us the fucking farm.

The issue is they still need enough vets to win with Dame: ie Bridges Claxton DFS.

If we're dealing with a NY team I might prefer the Knicks: they control all their picks. Get their 2024 2026 2028 2030 picks unprotected and get unprotected swaps in 2025 2027 2029, dumb contracts like Fornier and scrubs for Dame. NY still has a few more picks from other teams, so they might actually consider it.

Those picks could be insanely valuable once Dame declines in a few years. Either keep them or Blazers could eventually trade them for multiple all stars when Sharpe Scoot Ant etc hit their prime.

 

[HansenYang]

I think one of the only deals that makes sense is getting back Bridges, Claxton, and Finney-Smith.

While I think Siakam is the best player out of who is likely, his age, fit next to Grant, and impending free agency make me shy away from getting him.

I don't understand why so many people are concerned with Siakam's fit next to Grant. It just makes no sense to me.

Both are very versatile. I think they could easily play the 3/4 together as well as the 4/5. But Siakam is significantly better than Grant is. Offensively - I don't see any conflict on where they like to operate on the court. Both are more drive & kick wings. Although Siakam likes to get a bit closer to the mid-range than Grant typically does. Defensively, both are very mobile for their size. When they get beat, they both have a lot of length to make up ground.

Worst case, you re-sign Grant & then if it isn't working, you trade Grant in January for a better fit....

 

[Whyachi]

Blazers have the best #3 draft pick team I have ever seen. The trade deadline decimation strategy performed flawlessly for this franchise.

Don't mess things up by trading top young talent. If the Blazers are anywhere near .500 next season, park the starting unit & go get Shaedon and the new rookie another running mate.

 

[Shaboid]

I don't understand why so many people are concerned with Siakam's fit next to Grant. It just makes no sense to me.

Both are very versatile. I think they could easily play the 3/4 together as well as the 4/5. But Siakam is significantly better than Grant is. Offensively - I don't see any conflict on where they like to operate on the court. Both are more drive & kick wings. Although Siakam likes to get a bit closer to the mid-range than Grant typically does. Defensively, both are very mobile for their size. When they get beat, they both have a lot of length to make up ground.

Worst case, you re-sign Grant & then if it isn't working, you trade Grant in January for a better fit....

My big concern with pairing them is our already abysmal rebounding. I'm worried that playing them together makes it even worse.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

the Nuggets only have one superstar. They have other very good players and a ton of depth. I’ll take that model of team building over three egos and a bunch of mismatched parts any day.

Just to quibble, the Nuggets do NOT have a ton of depth. They have a tight 8 man rotation and their bench consists of:
ancient Jeff Green
castoff Bruce Brown
rookie Christian Braun
that's it!

And yet, you know that WHOever we get for the #3 pick they will easily beat us in a seven game series. Especially as on top of everything else, Jokic just never gets injured.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

That goes both ways. Who are these imaginary assets that we will get for Dame? If #3 can't get us value then how good would those picks help us in a rebuild after trading Dame? Picks that will not be nearly as good as #3. Our fans could barely handle the last two years, let alone another 5 years.

?? The assets would be mainly picks, obviously. Nobody trading for Dame is going to give up a helpful player because they'd be totally "win now" (so PLEASE stop the Mikal Bridges pipe dreams). So we'd have either the worst record in the league or close to it and another top 5 pick next year. But we'd have a stream of Shaedon dunks to keep us happy, and the knowledge that we're improving.

The alternative is to mortgage our future for a pretty-much-guaranteed first round exit.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

You Siakam people: explain why Masai Ujiri, notoriously one of the canniest GMs in the league (who has fleeced us before) would trade Siakam for the #3 if Siakam was worth the #3 pick. If Ujiri wants to make that trade, that's when you back out fast because you're being screwed.

 

[Pinwheel1]

?? The assets would be mainly picks, obviously. Nobody trading for Dame is going to give up a helpful player because they'd be totally "win now" (so PLEASE stop the Mikal Bridges pipe dreams). So we'd have either the worst record in the league or close to it and another top 5 pick next year. But we'd have a stream of Shaedon dunks to keep us happy, and the knowledge that we're improving.

The alternative is to mortgage our future for a pretty-much-guaranteed first round exit.

Exactly. Thus the reason a lot of fans do not see the logic in it. We have no clue where those picks will end up. And I am not suggesting we mortgage our future.

 

[Pinwheel1]

You Siakam people: explain why Masai Ujiri, notoriously one of the canniest GMs in the league (who has fleeced us before) would trade Siakam for the #3 if Siakam was worth the #3 pick. If Ujiri wants to make that trade, that's when you back out fast because you're being screwed.

Who did he fleece us for? Trent who might not resign? You are right he may want to keep Siakam unless Pascal wants out. But they also have a surplus of talent at his position.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I don't understand why so many people are concerned with Siakam's fit next to Grant. It just makes no sense to me.

Both are very versatile. I think they could easily play the 3/4 together as well as the 4/5. But Siakam is significantly better than Grant is. Offensively - I don't see any conflict on where they like to operate on the court. Both are more drive & kick wings. Although Siakam likes to get a bit closer to the mid-range than Grant typically does. Defensively, both are very mobile for their size. When they get beat, they both have a lot of length to make up ground.

Worst case, you re-sign Grant & then if it isn't working, you trade Grant in January for a better fit....

Offensively I think they would be great. But thats not what is holding back a Dame team from contending. Defensively I don't think they make sense, plus both are best at the 4. Bridges and Brown are much better with Grant, and younger.

I mean if we can get Siakam for Ant and #23 and a future first I'm all for it. But when your talking about #3 that is as valuable as many years #1s.... no I'm not doing that trade for Siakam.

 

[HansenYang]

My big concern with pairing them is our already abysmal rebounding. I'm worried that playing them together makes it even worse.

That would only be a concern if they are paired at the 4/5 positions.

If they played most of their time together at the 3/4 (with Nurk at the 5), the rebounding would be fine.

 

[B-Roy]

The 3 in itself is worth more than Siakam. Why would we throw in Ant? Masai would ask for Ant PLUS more and justify it by saying they don't value Ant.

It's so fucking stupid. It's like a few years ago when Blazer fans kept trying to convince Philly that McCollum was the best they could get for Simmons. Toronto fans want to manifest it so bad but it is not happening.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

The way I see it... it's Ant/#3/Nurk for either

Siakam/OG/Porter Jr. or Young

or

Bridges/Claxton/O'neal or Finney-Smith

Which do you prefer?

 

[TBpup]

Scoot or miller will be better than any player we trade for. We will definitely regret it later.

I think eventually, that will be the case. If not for a unicorn, Scoot would be the #1 pick with some people thinking Miller was the better choice. These are 2 very good which one of will fall to Portland. I'm not thrilled about getting a player that very likely doesn't make us a contender, and in the case of someone like Siakam or Brown, is due a MASSIVE payday at the end of next season.

Meanwhile, a very high Lottery pick who will likely contribute instantly and only get better, will be on a very inexpensive contract for a number of years.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Who did he fleece us for? Trent who might not resign? You are right he may want to keep Siakam unless Pascal wants out. But they also have a surplus of talent at his position.

When you have a surplus, you trade the lesser talent. And a lesser talent from a team that didn't make the playoffs does not light my fire.

 

[HansenYang]

The way I see it... it's Ant/#3/Nurk for either

Siakam/OG/Porter Jr. or Young

or

Bridges/Claxton/O'neal or Finney-Smith

Which do you prefer?

Keep it smaller.

Ant/3 for Bridges/Claxton is good.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Keep it smaller.

Ant/3 for Bridges/Claxton is good.

Both teams provide an opportunity to acquire an additional bench piece. If either team trades for #3, they have no use for their veteran wings.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

The way I see it... it's Ant/#3/Nurk for either

Siakam/OG/Porter Jr. or Young

or

Bridges/Claxton/O'neal or Finney-Smith

Which do you prefer?

Bridges Claxton DFS by a mile