As the holidays approach, ‘tis the season for the NBA to make moves. Or, as the old cliché says, “the NBA season doesn’t start until Christmas.”
Most teams gauge if they have a contender, playoff or rebuilding team by this. But, there’s one team this year that came in as a contender, but’s now rebuilding itself as a playoff possibility.
Coming off a trip to the Western Conference Finals, the Portland Trail Blazers appeared to be a team that could compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.
However, things haven’t played out as envisioned. With a losing record and injuries, the team signed Carmelo Anthony after a year of inactivity. The Blazers saw some success, but they still need more firepower on offense with Rodney Hood out for the long term. Kevin Love, who currently wants out of Cleveland, is a possibility.
“Nothing’s changed,” Love said. “What I mean by that is, since I got here, there’s been the talk of me being traded, so it’s nothing different. If they decide to go that way, I’ve just got to know it’s part of the business, or if we decide to go that way, it’s part of the business.”
Examining the best possible trades for both teams, the Cavaliers could trade Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.
The Blazers would trade Hassan Whiteside, SG; Kent Bazemore, F/C; Zach Collins, SF; Nassir Little and a possible future draft pick.
The money would work and young talent combined with an extra pick would help fuel the Cavaliers’ rebuild. The Blazers are in win now mode with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, both recently signing contract extension.
With the Warriors down and out, it’s time for the west to go full throttle to reach the NBA Finals.
