PORTLAND, Ore. — Things are heating up in the NBA with the trade deadline one week away.
Earlier this week, all-NBA superstar Anthony Davis requested a trade out of New Orleans. Then on Thursday, news broke that Knicks injured star forward Kristaps Porzingis had asked to be traded. Within less than an hour, New York and Dallas were finalizing a deal to send him to the Mavericks.
Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. That should be fun.
Davis wants to be traded to the Lakers, but until Thursday, Pelicans management had refused to return any phone calls from the decision-makers in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, 28 other teams are dreaming of Davis wearing their uniform.
During this week's trade-deadline-heavy podcast, Orlando, Nate and Jared discuss the Anthony Davis trade saga, whether the Blazers need to make a trade and predict what Portland will do at the deadline.
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1. This first question is a three-part question about the hottest topic in the NBA right now, Anthony Davis.
A. Should the Blazers go all-in on trying to trade for Anthony Davis?
Jared: The Blazers should submit the best offer they can to try to bring Anthony Davis to Portland. It's definitely a long-shot, but Portland can't sit this one out. The only untouchable on Portland's roster should be Damian Lillard. But in the past, Blazers GM Neil Olshey has treated CJ McCollum like an untouchable asset as well. He wouldn't include him in a trade offer for Paul George. He didn't put him on the table when Kawhi Leonard was available. It has to be different this time. Davis is a once-in-a-generation talent. If it takes McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, draft picks, do it. If Portland could pair Davis with Lillard, they could build the rest of the roster around them.
Orlando: This is arguably a top 5 player we’re talking about. Almost every team should be interested, especially the Blazers, who have been stuck in NBA purgatory — not good enough to compete for a championship and not bad enough to stockpile lottery picks. This is Portland’s best chance at a player of this caliber. Free agency hasn’t worked out and neither has the draft, the Blazers have to go the trade route for a player like this. It’s time to make a run at Anthony Davis and they need to be willing to give up some key pieces to get him.
Nate: The Blazers shouldn’t go all-in for Davis. To me, all-in means trade anyone necessary to bring in Davis. Given that Davis has made his intention clear that he wants to play for the Lakers, he would likely be a rental for Portland. Is having Davis for a season and a half and gambling on convincing him to stay worth blowing up what is a solid team? To me, the answer is no. If there was a greater likelihood Davis would stay in Portland long-term, then my answer would be yes.
B. Will Anthony Davis be traded before the trade deadline?
Orlando: I don’t think Davis gets dealt by the trade deadline. It seems like there’s more incentive for New Orleans to wait until the offseason where more teams can get involved in a bidding war. It’s up to the teams that want him right now to put the pressure on the Pelicans to get it done this week. Teams like the Blazers are on the clock, but they’re likely a dark horse in the AD sweepstakes.
Nate: I don’t think Davis will be traded by the deadline. I don’t see a team coming through with an offer that will blow the Pelicans away over the next week. I think he’ll likely be traded in the summer.
Jared: It makes more sense for the Pelicans to wait until the summer. If the Boston Celtics are willing to include Jayson Tatum in a deal for Davis this summer, the Pelicans should wait for that. In the summer, they'd also know which team has the No. 1 pick and the right to draft Zion Williamson. I think they'll listen to trade offers leading up to the deadline, but will hold onto him and trade him this summer.
C. Which team will Anthony Davis play for next?
Nate: And I think he’ll end up with the Lakers. While the Pelicans may not want to trade Davis to a Western Conference team, the Lakers have young players and assets that may be the best package for New Orleans.
Jared: I thought he'd end up on the Knicks. Before New York traded Porzingis to Dallas just hours ago, I thought if they offered Porzingis and their unprotected 2019 first-round draft pick, he'd end up there. But they took themselves out of the running with the Porzingis trade. So I'll predict he ends up being traded to the Celtics this summer.
Orlando: I’ve got to assume the Lakers will be the most aggressive to get a deal done and the favorites to get him.
2. Do the Blazers have to make a trade in order to advance past the first round of the playoffs. Why or why not?
Jared: Games like last night — a 27-point drubbing of a Jazz team that had won 11 of 13 coming into the game — make you think twice about a question like this. But ultimately I still don't see the Blazers advancing out of the first round of the playoffs with this roster. Portland is better than last season. Lillard continues to play like an all-NBA talent. Nurkic has improved. Jake Layman's emergence has been fun to watch. But this team still struggles in areas that predict playoff success. The Blazers struggle to win on the road — they're 10-13 away from the Moda Center. They lack consistent shooting from their starting forwards. And their bench gives leads away too easily. Unless the front office addresses those weaknesses, it's hard to imagine it won't come back to bite them in the playoffs.
Orlando: No, the Blazers don’t have to make a trade to get out of the first round, but would you take that chance of hoping for the perfect matchup? For me, that’s a no. We’ve seen enough, 10 straight playoff losses and back-to-back playoff sweeps. This roster needs help and the best way to accomplish that is via trade.
Nate: Yes, they do. We saw Portland struggle last postseason with perimeter shooting while the Pelicans focused their defensive pressure on Lillard and McCollum. If a similar strategy was to be deployed this postseason, I think the Blazers would, once again, have a difficult time scoring. Portland has feasted on weaker opponents so far this season, as they should. But they’ve struggled against the best in the West. Against teams currently .500 or better in the Western Conference, Portland is 10-14. That’s not a good omen for the Blazers going into the postseason. They looked impressive Wednesday night against the Jazz, but I still don’t think the Blazers, as constructed, can be counted on to win a playoff series. I’m not saying it needs to be a splash move that gets headlines across the league. But I believe they need outside scoring and depth help if they’re going to win a playoff series come April.
3. The Blazers play just one game between now and the next time we meet, so this will be a two-part prediction question. First, do the Blazers beat Miami at home next Tuesday? And second, do the Blazers make a trade by the deadline a week from today?
Orlando: Lots of rest and this game is at home, that sounds like a good deal for the Blazers. Ring up another win at the Moda Center in Dwyane Wade’s last game in Rip City. The second part of this question is the tough one. The fact that the Blazers name has come up in trade rumors makes me feel like they’re active in exploring deals. Whether or not those rumors are true is a different story. It’s more of a gut feeling, but I think the Blazers are going to make a move, I just don’t think it’s going to be a blockbuster deal. Let’s just hope, for the sake of conversation, it’s not just a deal involving cash considerations.
Nate: While the Heat have a winning record on the road, I've learned my lesson after picking Utah to beat Portland at the Moda Center. The Blazers continue to roll at home and beat a mediocre Heat team. And I’m going to say the Blazers make a move by the deadline. NBA insiders seem to say Portland is active in discussions. I don’t think it will be a major splash. But I think Olshey will end up making an under-the-radar move to improve the team’s bench, which could be a key addition when the postseason comes.
Jared: The Blazers are so good at home and will be rested, so they shouldn't have any trouble with the Heat. Miami is under .500 and has a negative point differential. Portland has taken care of business this season against teams like this, so I expect them to win. That would improve Portland's record to 33-20 heading into the trade deadline. Last season, Portland's record before the trade deadline was 29-25. The year before that, it was 23-33, and the year before that, it was 27-27. This is the best Portland team since LaMarcus Aldridge left. The last time Portland had a team this good was Aldridge's last season with the Blazers in 2014. Olshey was active and made a trade at the deadline that season to improve the team. I believe he feels the same urgency now to make this team better for a playoff run. Anthony Davis isn't coming to Portland, folks, but I predict the Blazers will make a move to improve the team.
SEASON PREDICTION RECORDS
- Orlando: 29-20
- Jared: 28-21
- Nate: 28-21
MEET THE 3-ON-3 BLAZERS TEAM
Orlando Sanchez is the sports anchor and reporter for KGW News, Sports Sunday and Friday Night Flights. Orlando has covered multiple NBA Finals, NCAA Basketball Tournaments and World Series.
Jared Cowley is a digital media producer who writes about the Blazers and other topics for KGW.com. Jared has written about the Jazz and Warriors as a sports editor at two daily newspapers.
Nate Hanson is a digital producer who contributes to KGW.com’s coverage of the Blazers, Ducks, Beavers and high school sports.