Possible Trade Targets For Blazers At Deadline

As the Portland Trail Blazers look towards the NBA trade deadline, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report has suggested a few targets that the team could pursue to buttress their performance on the defensive end, add a second point guard, or increase offensive production, namely Kyle Anderson, George Hill, and Kevin Love.

The Blazers need defensive help, as a 113.2 rating has them at 24th overall.

Anderson would serve as both defender and playmaker in the frontcourt. The 27-year-old has improved the Memphis Grizzlies by 9.5 points per 100 possessions this season and is on a team-friendly two-year, $19.4 million remaining contract.

Hill gives the Blazers a veteran point guard off the bench to help move the ball and space the floor. He’s a win-now piece that should help limit the workload of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Love is the wild card here. While he does nothing for the Blazers defensively, he’d make Portland completely unstoppable on offense with his three-point shooting and outlet passing. The Blazers are just 23rd in rebounding, an area Love should continue to thrive in until the day he retires.

Meanwhile, Swartz suggests that the San Antonio Spurs should aim for CJ McCollum.

McCollum is enjoying a career year thus far (28.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 steals) and won’t come cheap if the Blazers were to move him.

He seems like a Spurs-esque player with his incredible skill level and mid-range game, however, as well as his basketball IQ.

He also says the Indiana Pacers should take a look at Anfernee Simons.

Simons is in his third year with the Portland Trail Blazers but is still only 21. He’s a 6’3” scoring guard who’s only averaging 10.4 minutes off the bench for the Blazers, buried behind their star guard duo. Stretch his stats over 36 minutes and he’s averaging 17.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and shooting 38.5 percent from three. He’s never going to be a great distributor, but he won’t need to be playing alongside Malcolm Brogdon and LeVert.

Swartz also states that Gary Trent Jr. would fit in well with the Detroit Pistons.

Some team needs to pluck Trent from the Portland Trail Blazers bench and put him in their starting lineup. The 21-year-old shooting guard is averaging a career-high 11.3 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting from three in his third season.

You can read the entire list here.