Lesser-Known Players the Portland Trail Blazers Should Covet

No matter where it comes from, the Portland Trail Blazers roster could use a bump. With free agency and the draft done for the year, if it’s going to happen, Portland’s improvement will probably come via trade. Several proposals come to the Blazer’s Edge Mailbag weekly. Most are too outlandish to repeat, but we tackle a few. Most of the time it’s our sad duty to report (or at least guess) that the exchange isn’t possible, but sometimes a way forward shines through. That’s the subject of today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag.

Side note that I’ve managed to catch something and have spiked a fever for the last couple of days. That’ll make this Mailbag shorter than usual. Help fill in with your responses if you would!

Dave,

You always seem like you downgrade trades whenever someone asks about them. Come on man, be a little positive! Is there a trade you actually LIKE or won’t reject?

Kyle

Plenty! But I can also see where your point seems accurate at casual glance. The vast majority of people submitting Mailbag questions here are Blazers fans. They have a tendency to formulate trades that are...a tad optimistic? If you see me “downgrading” trade ideas, it’s not always about the player coming in. In fact, people usually have a pretty good nose for that aspect. My criticisms, when they come, are often:

1. The Blazers can’t get the player in question for what you’re proposing, and here’s why.
2. The Blazers might be able to make the trade work by increasing the offer, but here’s why that wouldn’t end up working for Portland.

As far as players I’ve coveted personally, Paul George was the obvious, top-of-the-list guy. He would look fantastic in Portland. DeMarcus Cousins would have been a good get even at the price Portland was reportedly willing to pay, let alone the price the Warriors actually snagged him for. If you want the expectations more modest, Rodney Hood would be interesting. I wouldn’t have minded taking a look at Nets guard Treveon Graham either. Nikola Vucevic’s name always pops up, and he’d be an interesting acquisition, as would Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz. I always kind of wanted the Blazers to get Vince Carter at small forward for a year too, but that’s more of a whim.

What say all of you? Do you have a weird or non-obvious target for the Blazers in trade? If so, let us know. Offer good fever remedies too! And, as always, send questions to blazersub@gmail.com! Thanks to Kyle for doing so!

—Dave / @davedeckard / @blazersedge / blazersub@gmail.com