The Portland Trail Blazers have been unable to get over the playoff hump over the past two seasons, instead choosing to punt on the end of the season for the sake of receiving a much better draft pick. And it worked; the Blazers drafted promising youngster Shaedon Sharpe in 2022, and they're now in position to take either Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller with the third pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. But with Damian Lillard not getting any younger, it's fair to wonder whether doing so is the best use of his remaining prime years.

In fact, Lillard is drawing so much attention regarding a potential trade; his interview with Showtime Sports only brought more pressure towards the Blazers to surround him with the requisite help to compete for, at the very least, a playoff spot.

The good news is that the Blazers should have the assets to entice prospective trade partners. Their lottery luck certainly helped in that regard, as jumping up to number three made their pick all the more appealing. Adding that pick to the likes of Anfernee Simons and even Nassir Little should net them quite the return — preferably a secondary star that would help ease Damian Lillard's offensive workload as well as help anchor the defense on the perimeter.

To that end, the Blazers are reportedly targeting the likes of Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, and Mikal Bridges, three two-way players who would vary in price in the trade market. In fact, Brown and Siakam could prove to be too expensive for the Blazers' liking.

If that proves to be the case, Bridges won't be too bad of an option, even though he might not be the true secondary shot creator the Blazers need.

With the goal of acquiring Mikal Bridges in a trade in mind, here is the best offer the Blazers must dangle in front of the Brooklyn Nets.

Blazers trade Anfernee Simons and 3rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Nets for Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges has spent most of his career as either the third or fourth option on offense, functioning at his best whenever he gets to exploit the space his more dynamic teammates create. But his midseason move to Brooklyn has unlocked Bridges; he took the most shots in 27 games for the Nets since the trade deadline, averaging 26.1 points without suffering too much of a drop-off in efficiency.

The links are there for sure; Bridges was spotted commenting on Damian Lillard's Instagram live, which suggests that the two have a solid relationship off the court. Thus, there's a strong chance that translates to a strong rapport on the court as well.

Even then, both teams will have their fair share of gripes regarding this hypothetical trade. The Blazers, in particular, may not be willing to pay that hefty of a price for Mikal Bridges, especially when he hasn't had the longest track record of success in a featured offensive role.

In particular, they would be asking the question of whether it even is worth it to trade the third overall pick that could net them either Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson, for the 26-year old wing. And to add Anfernee Simons on top of that? That seems like an extremely preposterous price to pay, especially when Bridges hasn't even made an All-Star team yet.

Meanwhile, the Nets may not want to give up on a burgeoning two-way wing who's on a long-term contract for a relatively inexpensive amount, especially when they're out a few first-round picks to the Houston Rockets due to the James Harden trade. In fact, some reports have already stated that the Nets are not interested in trading Bridges for the Blazers' third pick.

Nevertheless, from the Blazers' point of view, it's easy to see why Mikal Bridges stands out as an enticing trade target. He would give the Blazers a ferocious defender at the point of attack, and he should combine with Shaedon Sharpe to form quite the lengthy and athletic wing duo, not to mention Jerami Grant's contributions should he re-sign.

Meanwhile, Bridges could then slide down towards a more comfortable secondary role on offense behind Damian Lillard, soaking up some offensive burden alongside Grant.

For the Nets, they shouldn't have any difficulties remaining semi-competitive in the East even after they trade Mikal Bridges. A core of Spencer Dinwiddie, Anfernee Simons, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton, not to mention the potential rebirth of Ben Simmons, should guide the Nets to around 40 to 45 wins if all goes according to plan. Meanwhile, they can start building for the future as well with the addition of either Miller or Henderson.

Giving up on a player of Bridges' caliber isn't the easiest thing to do. But for the Nets' long-term roster building goals, it may be for the best — and the Blazers might be better off because of it.