Now that the Trail Blazers are currently sitting at ninth place in the Western Conference with Damian Lillard having a slow start to the 2021-22 NBA season, it's safe to say that things haven't exactly gone as planned for Rip City. As Lillard has started to get his groove back and lead the Blazers back in the right direction, there's no doubt that he'll need all the help he can get—especially if Portland wants to change the narrative and avoid another disappointing season.
Their inability to surround Lillard with quality talent over the past few seasons has been a huge reason why they're yet to make a single NBA Finals appearance during his tenure with the team. There's no denying that it'll take more than the late-game heroics of Dame Time for the Blazers to go on a deep playoff run this season. As they continuously search for ways to satisfy Lillard and improve their roster, we'll now take a look at the one big trade the Blazers must make in order to keep him happy.
Blazers Trade That Needs To Happen Now
Proposed Trade:
Trail Blazers receive: Pascal Siakam and Goran Dragic
Raptors receive: Nassir Little, Anfernee Simons, Larry Nance Jr., Robert Covington, and a future 1st round draft pick
In this hypothetical trade scenario, the Blazers would be getting some much-needed star power with the addition of Pascal Siakam while adding a reliable veteran in Goran Dragic to provide some quality depth to their backcourt rotation. This would give Portland an athletic two-way wing with championship experience and a high-IQ veteran point guard who's proven himself as an elite postseason performer.
With the additions of Siakam and Dragic, the Blazers would upgrade their roster immensely while giving them two players who perfectly complement the games of Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic. On the flip side, the Raptors would gain more youth and athleticism while adding to their deep core and coming away with an additional draft pick. With both teams looking to shake things up and move up the ladder in their respective conferences, this is a deal that would benefit both organizations.
This trade could be somewhat of a gamble, but if the Blazers are serious about building a contender in Portland and giving Lillard a legitimate shot at competing for an NBA title for the duration of his playing career, then this is a move that they should seriously look into well ahead of the NBA trade deadline. After all, Dame is entering the latter half of his career and wants to help keep Portland competitive in spite of their shortcomings over the past couple of years.
With so much riding on this season for the Trail Blazers, re-building a contending team around Lillard should be their highest priority considering how competitive it already is in the Western Conference. So if they want to make a game-changing trade that can help them move the needle and go on a surprisingly deep playoff run this season, then this is the trade that the Blazers need to pursue to show Lillard they're serious about competing for a championship this year.
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