New Orleans Pelicans: 3 trade possibilities for Nikola Mirotic

3. Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the more aggressive shoppers of the trade deadline, having already made one move to bolster their depth.

The acquisition of Rodney Hood from Cleveland proved two things: It showed that the Blazers are ready to supplement a dynamic backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum with a viable supporting cast, and that they have no problem giving up their assets for players who will only be under contract through this season.

With a reinforced frontcourt rotation, Portland could use a player that can hit 3s with consistency and open up driving lanes for their guards, while still providing some type of presence down low and ability to rebound.

Enter Nikola Mirotic.

Through his 32 games with the New Orleans Pelicans this season, he is averaging 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in just 28.9 minutes per game. He is also shooting 36.8 percent from the perimeter, including 38.1 percent on his corner 3s. With a traditional center in Jusuf Nurkic, placing Mirotic on the court with the rest of their starting lineup would be an immediate upgrade to their roster without having to sacrifice any of their key players.

For the Pelicans, the Blazers don’t have much to offer in terms of young talent that they would likely be willing to part with, but the pick compensation would be very possible. Portland could send back its own first round pick, which would be well out of the lottery, but could be another shot at finding a late round gem come June.

If the Pelicans were willing to take back some of the less-than-desirable salary that has plagued Portland for some time now, such as Meyers Leonard, the addition of another second round pick could be thrown into the mix for a Mirotic deal.