Name One NBA Player You Covet for the Trail Blazers

Outside of the 2023 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers have had a muted summer in 2023. (Although “muted” may not be the right adjective over a two-month period that saw them making national headlines almost every day because of Damian Lillard’s well-publicized trade request.) Aside from that, they drafted Scoot Henderson and a couple young players and did...not much. They’re not expected to do more, either. They’ll sign training camp hopefuls as they march towards fall, but—aside from any return from a Lillard trade—big names and significant players will be rare.

If the situation doesn’t change (via Lillard recanting or some other blockbuster deal) the Blazers will be in rebuilding mode for the near future. Given that, we want to know what specific NBA player or players you would covet as they begin a new journey forward.

Obviously Joel Embiid would be on anybody’s list and Mikal Bridges on most. Let’s eliminate stars from the equation, though. If Portland could super-swoop their way into contention, Lillard wouldn’t be eyeing the Miami Heat like a kindergartner anticipating Christmas.

Let’s also assume that winning more games this year is not the only goal. You could bolster Portland’s lineup with a starting small forward or really good back-up center to generate a few more victories, but depending on the player, that wouldn’t necessarily mean much to the future.

We want to know which players you’d think would fit seamlessly, contribute well, and help Portland through to the next era of success. They could be young players whose talent speaks for itself, diamond-in-the-rough guys who would blossom in Portland, or veterans who have just the right aura to spur this team to growth.

If the Blazers were to sign someone or make a significant trade to boost the rebuild, who are the best candidates to get, outside of stars? Share your nominations and reasoning in the comment section.