Co-stars #2: Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby
With the writing on the wall for the Toronto Raptors, it seems likely that they will look to do a complete roster overhaul this summer. That could greatly benefit Lillard and the Blazers since they are likely to be buyers this off-season. Pascal Siakam has just one year remaining on his contract, and with the Raptors choosing to go in another direction, they may trade him rather than lose him for nothing. Additionally, OG Anunoby has been rumored to be available after reportedly being dissatisfied with his role.
He could draw a haul of picks, perhaps more if paired with Siakam in a trade. The Blazers could help the Raptors to jumpstart their rebuild by trading their top-six selection in this year’s draft, in addition to the Knicks’ 2023 first-round pick, Simons, Sharpe, Nurkic, and two other future unprotected firsts.
Receiving Simons as well as two firsts is a haul. While Nurkic’s contract isn’t all that desirable, he is still a starting-caliber center that would provide the Raptors insurance if Jakob Poeltl gets a huge offer that they don’t feel comfortable matching.
For the Blazers, they would give Dame a legit second option as well as another weapon in Anunoby. Considering that they were likely to trade at least one of their picks this year, moving one plus another first would probably be palatable to Portland. Particularly if it also gets them off of Nurkic, whom they shopped around the trade deadline.