Report: Portland Trail Blazers could target Paul George with No. 3 pick

It seems like the Portland Trail Blazers are doing their best to please Damian Lillard. The squad reportedly could target Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George in a trade involving the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft.

“Portland, sources said, is targeting forwards with size at the top echelon of the league’s player hierarchy — someone like [Bam] Adebayo or Clippers All-Star Paul George,” wrote Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer.

The Blazers apparently still plan to build around Lillard, but selecting a young player like Scott Henderson or Brandon Miller with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft might not be the best way to build a contending roster around the seven-time All-Star.

Portland has also reportedly been dangling the No. 23 pick in the draft in hopes of finding some more help for its star.

Landing George or Adebayo would be huge for the Trail Blazers. Geroge is coming off a 2022-23 season in which he recorded 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

He once again dealt with injury issues, but he was very productive when he was on the court. The eight-time All-Star is one of the league’s best two-way players, so he would add to Portland’s offense while elevating its defense as well.

Defense has been a big issue for the Blazers for many seasons, so acquiring a player like George would likely do wonders for the franchise.

Portland has missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons after a string of eight consecutive playoff appearances. Things under head coach Chauncey Billups haven’t gone according to plan, and one has to wonder if this upcoming season will be his last chance with the organization.

It’ll be interesting to see if Portland is able to make a major move involving its top pick before the start of the draft.