The Portland Trail Blazers are just delaying the inevitable. Damian Lillard would really want to be traded to the Miami Heat or any of his preferred teams. A blockbuster trade may not only see picks, swaps, and player movement in the NBA. Instead, it could open the Blazers to a full rebuild. This allows them to focus on young talent which may even net them Deandre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic.
The Blazers have all the talent and youth in the positions that they have filled. Jusuf Nurkic at the center position is the only exception. When Damian Lillard does get traded, the Suns could be interested in a veteran rebounder, screen-setter, and rim-protector, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
This becomes a win-win situation for both teams. The Suns are able to get a near double-double machine in the Bosnian Beast who grabbed 9.1 rebounds next season. They would also offload Deandre Ayton's development to another team such that they could focus on a win-now situation for the NBA playoffs with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
The Blazers get much more benefit out of this as well. Their depth in the center position will remain the same. But, they would not have to wait for Nurkic to leave in free agency and lose him for nothing. Instead, they get Ayton who is just two years removed from an NBA finals run with the Suns. He may be young with some raw skill sets but he knows his way around the NBA post-season. This is vital given that their young core of Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe have not gotten as much experience.
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