5 players Blazers could acquire in Lillard deal to stay competitive

No. 1 player Blazers could acquire in Lillard trade: Paul George

The Clippers are trying to pair James Harden with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to form the league’s next high-profile ‘Big 3.’ If Los Angeles were to pivot toward Lillard, however, it may be harder to formulate a respectable package without sacrificing one of the franchise’s two cornerstones.

George is the obvious trade candidate in that event, even if he’s slightly more dependable on the health and availability front than Leonard. The Clippers would hope to blend Leonard’s deadly isolation scoring with Lillard’s prominent pick-and-roll game and, of course, his lofty volume of 3-point attempts.

As for George, he would immediately provide Portland with another top-20 player to potentially build a postseason team around. The defensive range between George and Grant on the wing is considerable and Scoot Henderson would have no problem slicing down the middle of defenses before kicking out to George on the wing.

Nurkic/Grant/George/Simons/Henderson is a very talented, very explosive, and very balanced starting five. Portland would be the real deal.

Paul George is one year older than Lillard (33) and he’s on a shorter-term contract that gives him the option to hit free agency next summer (with a player option for $48.5 million in 2024-25). The Blazers would presumably want to work toward an extension of some kind. George might also want long-term financial commitment out of Portland, but there are natural concerns tied to paying max money to an aging, oft-hurt star like George. Concerns the Blazers are very familiar with having dealt with Lillard.