The Portland Trail Blazers have long maintained that they are doing their best to put a winning team around star guard Damian Lillard. But they have been overall unsuccessful, having won 35 or fewer games in three of the last four seasons.
Blazers Could Target Bridges, Siakam, And Brown This Summer
“I would agree that those (Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam and Jaylen Brown) are the three primary targets for the (Blazers) when it comes to trades involving the third pick, and I think there’s a reasonable chance something gets done involving one of them.”
– @highkin
(h/t… pic.twitter.com/8Ze0nQXSxO
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 29, 2023
Lillard has been wildly loyal to the team that drafted him, though there have been rumors swirling about him potentially wanting out at some point. But if the Blazers are finally able to pair him with a legit co-star, then it could make everyone in the Rose City a little happier.
According to Blazers beat reporter Sean Highkin, Portland will look to target some big free agent names this coming summer.
“I would agree that those (Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam and Jaylen Brown) are the three primary targets for them. When it comes to trades involving the third pick, and I think there’s a reasonable chance something gets done involving one of them.”
The Blazers are in an interesting position. They hold a top-3 draft pick in what could be a top-loaded draft, and there will likely be teams that are interested in shedding a veteran contract or two for the rights to the Blazers selection. They likely don’t want to get any younger themselves, as Lillard’s timeline doesn’t exactly match up with a potential developmental project.
Jaylen Brown would be one of the bigger acquisitions of the off-season, should he leave Boston. He is eligible for a super max contract, with which the Celtics could make him one of the league’s highest-paid players. There have been rumors of Brown’s unhappiness with the team, and his future in Boston is certainly not guaranteed.
But any one of the three players would be the best option that the Blazers have put next to Lillard in some time. They did have a two-headed scoring duo in he and CJ McCollum, but they proved to be unable to get over the hump in the playoffs year after year. Portland will be looking for a better fit, and one of the three options that Highkin mentions would likely be a bigger help to Lillard.