The Portland Trail Blazers need to make some moves during the offseason to improve the roster and it seems that the Orlando Magic could end up trading center Dwight Howard. Hearing what the rumors say about what the Magic might want, I think it also seems like the Blazers could put together an interesting package for the big man.
It has been reported that the Houston Rockets appear to be trying to acquire two top 10 selections in the 2012 NBA Draft to then send to Orlando as part of a Howard trade. With the Blazers already in possession of both the No. 6 and No. 11 selections in the first round, it seems like the team could also put together an enticing package for one of the best centers in the NBA.
I think that Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge could play well together and that the Blazers would become one of the strongest teams in the low post. Aldridge already has the great range to take his game outside of the key and teams wouldn't be able to double-team either guy for fear of leaving the other one open.
Depending on what salaries the Blazers sent to Orlando, the team would still probably have enough money to pursue someone like Deron Williams of the Brooklyn Nets or Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns. If the Blazers found a way to hold on to Nicolas Batum, they could re-sign him to a long-term deal after the other transactions had taken place.
Sometimes it is hard to equate the value of draft picks, especially when the selections haven't taken place. This is one of those drafts that is extremely wide open and could contain a high number of great players that drop to teams late in the first round. It's the deepest draft that I have seen in a while and I really believe that the Blazers could come away with two great players at No. 6 and No. 11.
If the front office in Orlando wants to be done with the Howard drama and also feels that the draft will yield All-Star players, maybe a trade could actually get made. The question becomes whether the Blazers would want to sacrifice a lot in order to bring in a proven superstar player. He would change the culture in Portland quite a bit and it would certainly make the 2012-13 season exciting.
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*Ryan is a Northwest bred sports fan that has been a Portland Trail Blazers fan for years. He has high hopes that the Blazers can make it to the Western Conference Playoffs again next year.
