Should Blazers trade their 2025 pick of outside of the top 4?

[Blazers20]

Can the Blazers get a young star or near star player with the 2025 pick (top 4 protected), Scoot and Clingan? Do other NBA teams see star potential in Scoot and or Clingan?

And what are other trade options with Simons, Grant, Williams, Thybulle and Ayton if there are any?

[Blazers20]

Outside of Flagg, Harper, Bailey and VJ I don’t see any other players available that could really help this team.

[oldfishermen]

And what are other trade options with Simons, Grant, Williams, Thybulle and Ayton if there are any?

There may be a small chance we can trade $100 million man Simons for a dozen eggs. Not sure anyone else on your list has that much trade value.

[RoyceDa59]

They should just draft the BPA and keep building. Young cheap talent with upside is exactly what they need.

[Walton1one]

No they should not

However, judging by Cronin’s actions (or lack of) and their apparent ridiculous infatuation with making the play in which makes no sense, the chance of them trading the pick is higher than I would prefer

However, I am not sure there are any players out there that move the needle enough to propel this team to playoff relevance

[Brandon-Clyde]

It would depend on who is available. For instance I would not be real interested in Trae Young who I see as a poor man's Lillard and would prefer to keep our young players and add more young talent . So who would be the target of such a trade?

[Wizenheimer]

if the Blazers can trade their 2025 pick + worst 2029 pick + Ayton for Zion...sure, give it a whirl. Short of a player like that, there's no point in moving the pick because it's not going to be for any high-upside player or even an all-star

the problem is Portland's vets have negative value; at best, one or two might have neutral value but I doubt it

I'd like somebody to suggest actual trades in order to gauge the value. I'm convinced the Blazers wont be trading for any elite talent. But, even though the odds are low, that pick could land an elite talent. It's there only chance at that over the next year

[Walton1one]

Right now (this offseason) a player like Ayton would be used as salary filler in a deal, same with Thybulle (if he opts in)

Simons may have some marginal value, same with Williams

Grant has little\no value right now

So to trade for an established player, I would imagine that one or a few of them would need to be added to make salaries work but their “value” as part of the deal would be negligible (Ayton\Thybulle\any of the bench players) to minor (Simons\Williams)

The good news is that most of the vets. outside of Grant are expiring next year, so like Brogdon, their value should be neutral at worst

The bad news is, the players rumored to possibly be available: RJ Barrett, Lamelo Ball, Trae Young, Kevin Durant, Zion (maybe?), Sabonis (maybe?)

are either too risky, too old, too costly, did fit, or not good enough to catapult this team to playoff contender status

[Walton1one]

I just don’t see a way that NO trades Zion for anything less than a massive package, no way they can risk him blowing up somewhere else and they got pennies on the dollar for him, and I don’t think, given his injury history & weight\motivation issues that he is worth a massive cost, just too risky, and Cronin does not strike me as the “risky” type

[Blazers20]

Would the Pelicans be interested in 2025 1sr-Scoot-Clingan-Filler (anyone but Deni and Sharpe) for Zion?

[Brandon-Clyde]

Would the Pelicans be interested in 2025 1sr-Scoot-Clingan-Filler (anyone but Deni and Sharpe) for Zion?

I don't know if New Orleans would but I would not. The injury and conditioning concerns alone make me say no but throw in his somewhat embarrassing personal life and I would only want him here on a really cheap offer.

[Walton1one]

Would the Pelicans be interested in 2025 1sr-Scoot-Clingan-Filler (anyone but Deni and Sharpe) for Zion?

No way POR should be interested in that and IMO, the cost would be a lot higher than that, multiple 1st’s (25, which can only be traded at\after the draft, 29 best of, and POR best asset + 31) plus 1-2 young players

[Walton1one]

Here are some possibilities that could make some sense for POR pick, nothing too exciting IMO

I would add RJ Barrett, but that cost would be Sccot or Sharpe + 25 1st plus maybe an additional 1st?

I think IND could be a team, if they really want to keep Turner. Mathurin has been a guy that’s been rumored to be available, Nembhard is another, although they have pretty consistently said they did not want to trade him. Exchanging Jarace Walker for POR pick is another possibility, not sure that makes a ton of sense with Deni\Camara & Grant already on the team

Another option could be MIN, they’ve got to try to re-sign Naz Reid who will likely be in high demand, they could trade McDaniels for POR pick, use that pick on a younger cost controlled replacement, they also have some younger players that could fill his spot: Shannon, Miller, Minott

ORL is another possibility, could they trade Suggs maybe? I doubt they break up Wagner Banchero , but given Suggs injury history they could pivot to Simons and POR pick? Given their history of trade activity (lack of) I find that to be unlikely though.

Maybe BRK? For Cam Johnson? If BRK wanted another lottery pick, they could trade one of their late 1st’s (they have 3) and Johnson for POR lotto pick + ??

Maybe GS does not want to pay Kuminga? If they decide to trade him, maybe POR pick plus a player like Ayton or Simons something like that?

So they get some help now + young player for when Steph, Draymond & Butler are gone? Also, they aren’t locked into a massive new deal for Kuminga (POR would) that they don’t seemed inclined to want to pay

Lastly, there was a rumor that MEM could explore moving Ja Morant? I find that very hard to believe, but if he was available, he probably would be worth the cost, and it would cost POR everything they could offer

Looking at other teams, having a tough time finding players that might make sense

[Butter]

I just don’t see a way that NO trades Zion for anything less than a massive package, no way they can risk him blowing up somewhere else and they got pennies on the dollar for him, and I don’t think, given his injury history & weight\motivation issues that he is worth a massive cost, just too risky, and Cronin does not strike me as the “risky” type

There were rumors that the Pels were considering cutting Zion this season.

https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-insider-makes-case-cutting-zion-williamson-best-option

Who knows if it's true, but there were multiple sites claiming it was being discussed.

[Butter]

Would the Pelicans be interested in 2025 1sr-Scoot-Clingan-Filler (anyone but Deni and Sharpe) for Zion?

Are you suggesting 3x lottery picks (and filler) for Zion?

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Sounds like a good way to keep the treadmill going, which is seemingly the big plan our front office has decided on.

[Walton1one]

2-3 1st’s + young player and filler, that is what it would take IMO

I don’t see any way they trade him on the cheap, nor do I see them waiving him either

He is 24yrs old and when he does play can be dominant, the problem is he has weight issues, off court issues and can’t stay on the court (injuries)

Even if NO is tired of his act, which I would think should be a red flag to other teams? They cannot afford to just give him away for cheap, and with the way his contract is structured they are not as locked into him as POR is with Grant (bad contract, fully guaranteed, old, playing like crap)

Given how their season went with all the injuries, it would seem their best path would be to draft their lotto pick and see how they play when everyone is healthy together. How many games has Zion even played with Dejounte?

[DusterBuster]

Sounds like a good way to keep the treadmill going, which is seemingly the big plan our front office has decided on.

Isn’t the current “plan” (if we can call it that) a treadmill?

[PDXKnight]

They should trade all the veterans still. Which probably means use the pick i suppose unless there's a sensible way to move up.

What they will do is use the pick and hold onto the veterans more than likely and maybe even extend them. In fact I'd say it's more likely they trade the pick for another veteran than trade any more than 1 veteran away this off season (between rob/grant/ant/ayton)

[JasonStern]

if the Blazers can trade their 2025 pick + worst 2029 pick + Ayton for Zion...sure, give it a whirl. Short of a player like that, there's no point in moving the pick because it's not going to be for any high-upside player or even an all-star

the problem is Portland's vets have negative value; at best, one or two might have neutral value but I doubt it

I'd like somebody to suggest actual trades in order to gauge the value. I'm convinced the Blazers wont be trading for any elite talent. But, even though the odds are low, that pick could land an elite talent. It's there only chance at that over the next year

Simons might have neutral value, but we have been over this before. The younger core is due extensions soon. Ayton/Simons/Timelord/Thybulle simply expiring isn't the worst move. And then you still have the option, if desired, to offer them more reasonable contracts.

Grant, though. Ugh. I find it funny the media was claiming that Cronin wanted two 1sts for him. It would probably take two 2nds to get out of his contract. You always hope that there is a GM dumber than yours, but I have a feeling we'll get some "Grant is a good veteran presence for the young guys" rhetoric.

No idea why Blazers20 wants to get rid of Clingan and Scoot. Both have proven to be NBA caliber, and both don't have the value of a proven star. The Blazers currently have the 9th pick, which you're statistically hopeful to get a starting caliber player with.