Analysts Float Big Trail Blazers Trade Suggestions

Feb 3, 2023 - 12:20 AM

With one week before the NBA trade deadline, mock trades involving the Portland Trail Blazers are coming through thick and fast.

On today’s Lowe Post podcast, ESPN analysts Zach Lowe and Kevin Pelton put the Blazers into the trade machine and came up with a handful of deals involving the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lowe: I have some many crazy Portland Trail Blazers trades, all of which are probably non-starters with the Portland Trail Blazers but I don’t really care, I want to have fun.

Pelton puts up the first trade, which involves Josh Hart and Anfernee Simons going to the Chicago Bulls for Demar DeRozan and Alex Caruso with picks to be sorted.

Lowe: I don’t think the Blazers want to trade Anfernee Simons, I think their view of the situation is, “we upended our franchise last season in the CJ McCollum, in part because of the faith we have in homegrown pick Anfernee Simons.”

Despite this, Lowe then suggests Simons, Hart and Jusuf Nurkic to the Bulls for DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

Pelton: The interesting thing about it from Portland’s standpoint, is the Blazers’ problem remains defense. You trade for Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, I’m not sure you’re not fixing that, that’s why I like Caruso in there.

Lowe then turns to the Phoenix Suns, proposing Nurkic and Simons for Deandre Ayton and Cam Johnson, then sending Nassir Little to the Denver Nuggets for Bones Hyland to replace Simons’ facilitating.

Finally, Lowe throws out a wildcard bringing in the Minnesota Timberwolves swapping Nurkic and Simons for Rudy Gobert,

You can hear the discussion here 38 minutes in.