The Portland Trail Blazers kick off their regular season on Wednesday against a beefed-up Western Conference. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, in his preseason power rankings, has Portland ranked eighth - and thinks their ability to make a midseason move could puch them even higher:
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum need a boost, and Portland has the necessary salary fillers (Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore) and the assets (Nassir Little, Zach Collins, future picks) to complete an impact trade. Dame and CJ are small, so it would make sense for that player to be a forward or a big.