The Portland Trail Blazers have been eliminated from the playoffs. They fell in five games to the San Antonio Spurs. After stealing Game 2 when Victor Wembanyama got hurt, Portland was not able to win another game in the series.
Now, the Blazers have to figure out a way forward. The first order of business is finding a permanent coach after Chauncey Billups was arrested at the start of the year. Once that is settled, they can start figuring out how to improve the roster.
A trade proposal from Bleacher Report would have Portland land Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they would send a fortune in order to do so.
GettyMilwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo drives the ball. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Trail Blazers Land Giannis Antetokounmpo in Bold Trade Proposal
Here is the full trade proposal:
The Portland Trail Blazers receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Milwaukee Bucks receive: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray, Matisse Thybulle (via sign-and-trade), 2028 first-rounder, 2029 first-rounder, 2030 reversal of prior first-round swap, 2031 protected first-rounder, $11.9 million trade exception (Antetokounmpo)
Part of the reason why this trade would be attractive to the Bucks is that they would be able to recoup some of their own first-rounders, which Portland owns. They got those in the Jrue Holiday trade. Still, this is quite a lot to send for just one player.
Henderson was able to show some star qualities during this playoff run. His stock might be on the rise. Moving Murray and Thybulle wouldn’t hurt the Blazers very much, as they are not strong contributors. Also, moving Sharpe would acknowledge drafting him was a mistake, too.
Trading four players and four first-round picks in return for a 31-year-old player who is injury-prone might not be the right move. Adding a star player would be ideal, but this is a steep cost. This past season, the Trail Blazers had the 10th-worst offense in the NBA. Fixing that will be a priority.
GettyMilwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo dribbles the ball. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Portland is a Dark-Horse Candidate to Land Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Trail Blazers do have plenty of assets in order to land Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is the biggest name available in the offseason, so there will be a bidding war for him. With that being the case, Portland needs to offer a strong package to Milwaukee.
Still, they might be able to offer a package that the Bucks would accept that wouldn’t include as many assets as this one. Antetokounmpo would be a great fit in Portland. If he could stay healthy, he would add immense value on both ends of the floor, and he already has built-in chemistry with Holiday.
Even if the Blazers don’t end up adding Antetokounmpo, expect them to be active in the offseason. They must improve their offense to the point that they can generate easier baskets. That’s why they lost to the Spurs. Defensively, they ranked 12th in the regular season. That’s good enough if the offense turns around.
Figuring out the coaching staff will be the first order of business, though.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Proposed Trade Sees Portland Trail Blazers Send a Fortune for Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared first on HEAVY.