Grade The Trade: Damian Lillard teams up with Anthony Edwards, Wolves

The Portland Trail Blazers’ perspective of this trade

As the Portland Trail Blazers continue to try to find the right deal for them involving trading Damian Lillard, perhaps a deal surrounding around Karl-Anthony Towns would make sense. On one hand, the Blazers adding KAT would be a great get. Portland has a great young, promising backcourt, and adding a talent such as KAT to the frontcourt would help give this team some balance that it currently doesn’t have on its roster. However, there would be a few questions I’d have about whether this deal makes sense for Portland.

For one, there’s no guarantee that KAT fits the same timeline as Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. For as talented of prospects as both of those players are, they’re still 1-2 years away from being consistent difference-makers in the NBA. By the time they’re ready to take on the reins of a franchise, KAT will be 29 years old.

Secondly, are we sure KAT hasn’t hit his peak in the NBA? You’d have to imagine that a change in scenery would do KAT good but without the guarantee of that, this is the type of move that would be seen as a huge risk.

And third, two second-round draft picks as the only draft compensation would be quite puzzling. Even though KAT is a productive and talented player, the Blazers need draft picks back in any deal for Lillard.

KAT is a big name and would move the needle, but I’m not sure he fits what the Blazers are looking for in a potential return of Lillard.