If the research is unsuccessful for the moment, Portland does not give up the idea of associating Damian Lillard with another star. Now, the front office would look into a trade involving a big name from the East. The advantage is that they don’t miss the assets.
For the moment, we cannot say that Damian Lillard has anything to be optimistic about in the 2022-23 season. Indeed, the Blazers seem to be drawing a blank among the potential stars available this summer… Long attracted by Zach LaVine, the leaders saw the back of deciding in favor of his Bulls. And then they made a big decision that won’t please their franchise player, regarding the case of Suns center Deandre Ayton whom he would have liked very much to have by his side.
The good news is that these weren’t the only athletes the Oregon team had in their sights. She thus observes carefully what is happening in the Eastern Conference, on the Atlanta side. Trae Young thus risks attending a big spring cleaning, because more than half of the roster has been declared transferable. This also concerns one of its flagship players, who should quickly have to pack up according to Sam Amicko of HoopsWire :
Numerous reports have suggested the Hawks have been aggressive in seeking trades this season, and while they aren’t looking to completely renew the roster, they could move one or two key pieces of the existing roster. One such piece, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, is power forward John Collins.
Wishing to obtain a big contract, the big man should not be able to obtain it in Georgia and a departure therefore seems inevitable in the short term. However, still according to Amico, this would be the perfect opportunity for Portland to try its luck in order to recover it. The franchise is already thinking about it and even has an intriguing counterpart:
The Trail Blazers are among the teams linked to Collins, and a potential deal involving Portland’s No. 7 pick isn’t out of the question.
John Collins tracked by the Blazers
When you think about it, recruiting the Dunkin’ Deacon wouldn’t be a bad idea for Rip City at all. Admittedly, the person concerned is prone to injuries (54 games in 2021-22), but he would be quite complementary to the pivot Jusuf Nurkic had whom he would form the starting racket. This would allow Portland to add a big name alongside Lillard, while maintaining their confidence in the Bosnian, very close to the number 0 but who was mentioned in exit rumors recently.
In addition, JC would bring quality in a far from negligible sector: shooting behind the arc. The guy is indeed running at more than 37% career three-point success, with even peaks at 40% address between 2019 and 2021. After the departure of CJ McCollum, it would be a good way to get a new sniper, although his volume (3.3 per encounter) is obviously lower than that of the now Pelicans star.
On the offensive level, a duo formed by John Collins and Damian Lillard would in any case look great. On the other hand, it will certainly be much more complicated in defense, and it will also be necessary to manage the ego from the inside, known to be temperamental.
