The coincidence of D’Angelo Russell, Andrew Wiggins, and Hassan Whiteside all making roughly the same amount of money this year got me thinking that perhaps there’s a chance a deal could be made under the right set of circumstances. This of course assumes a number of things including: the GSW’s are looking to move Russell for an expiring contract, Klay is ready to go by the deadline, the T’wolves are still interested in Russell and wanting to move Wiggins, and the trailblazers have Nurkic back and wanting to use their expiring contracts to solidify their wing positions (rather than waiting for internal development or using free agency). So with that, I’m suggesting the following scenario:

GSW: trade Russell and receive Whiteside

T’wolves: trade Wiggins, along with Covington, and trade filler (Shabazz, and Vonleh perhaps) and receive Russell and Kent Bazemore

Blazers: trade Whiteside and Bazemore, and receive Wiggins, Covington, and trade filler

Why GSW does this? :

-trading Russell away for an expiring max contract is already a win once Klay is healthy. Getting a center like Whiteside who can be a significant contributor at a position of need is icing on the cake. He immediately becomes a lob threat, can clean up misses and protect the rim, and doesn’t need specific plays run for him. This feels like a pretty ideal option after renting Russell for half a season.

Why T’wol Does this? :

-not only do they get their lead guard, who gets along with KAT, but they also lose two contracts they’ve been rumored to try to move this offseason. Bazemore doesn’t match perfectly for Covington, so salary filler for around 3-5 million would be needed to complete this deal.

Why the Blazers make this deal?

- I suspect there would be a ton of criticism surrounding Wiggins going to Portland. Yes he is an inefficient, one dimensional offensive player that is a below average 3 point shooter. Yes his motor has been questioned, as has his defense. And yes, he is on an awful max contract for the next 4 years. All of criticism is completely justified, and by himself I don’t believe Olshey makes this trade.

But Wiggins may be worth the risk, particularly if Covington is also coming in the deal. The two of them together in a starting lineup of Dame, CJ, and Nurk, is very interesting to me. It almost looks like a better version of Aminu-Harkless pairing at the wings, a little less defense with way better offense. Wiggins gives something this roster still needs, and that is an a creator of offense at the wings. When Rodney Hood was cooking offensively, it was fun to see what this team could do. Now you have a more consistent offensive threat at the 3, and still have Hood coming off the bench. I do think there’s a scenario where Wiggins is a very effective player in a new environment, with different expectations, better coaching and better leadership.

Last thoughts on our expiring contracts:

我相信开拓者将需要使用这些交货piring contracts at the trade deadline if they want to solidify their starting roster. Looking at the Gallinari, Love, Hayward, Griffin, Porter, Gordon, amongst other names that have been discussed as potential trade targets, Wiggins and Covington are the only names I’ve actually heard have been shopped this offseason. Gallinari, Love, Hayward, Griffin all concern me greatly based on their injury histories, and actually represent greater risk than Wiggins. Porter would be nice, but seems to be at his ceiling and doesn’t make us a contender. I love Aaron Gordon, but I don’t see how Portland makes this trade without offering Simons. Because the age of Wiggins being essentially the same as Nurk, he represents a contract for a player who may be on the upswing of his career, and gives us a window of 4 plus years.

This is my first Fan Post, if you finished reading my ramblings thanks, and tell me what you think!