Portland

Trail Blazers

Grant isn’t eligible to be traded until January 15th, but that gives Portland about a month to move him before the trade deadline in February. Grant should start the season as the primary scoring option in Portland, which should lead to real fantasy success. However, if he ends up dealt to a contender, his production would likely drop significantly. They signed him to a massive five-year, $160 million deal, so we’ll have to see what contenders could be interested in bringing in that lengthy contract.

Little and Johnson had little fantasy value heading into this season on a rebuilding Blazers roster, and their fantasy value is nearly non-existent now that they’ve landed with a title contender. Jabari Walker and Kris Murray could find more playing time now on an even thinner Portland team.

Nurkic has had trouble staying on the court over the last four seasons, and even though he has a fantasy-friendly skillset as a shot-blocker and quality passing big man, the move to Phoenix is a downgrade. He’ll go from a rebuilding roster to a title contender featuring some of the league’s best scorers, which means his already-shaky fantasy value takes a hit. He’s certainly worth a flyer outside the top 100, but don’t get your hopes up too high.

Portland also received a 2029 first-round pick from Milwaukee and a pick swap as part of the blockbuster trade. Holiday recently noted that he’d like to finish his career with Milwaukee, but Giannis Antetokounmpo asked for help, Dame asked for a trade, and Holiday is unfortunately part of the fallout. The veteran point guard is perennially a top-35 fantasy option, and if he commands 30+ minutes a night in Portland, that’s unlikely to change. The biggest loser here is Scoot Henderson, who now has to share the backcourt with Holiday, but Woj reports that the Blazers will try to trade Holiday to a contender. Doing so will make the most sense for a Portland team looking to develop its young core, but the jury is out on Holiday’s and Scoot’s fantasy values until that happens.

Well, that was unexpected. After requesting a trade more than a month ago, Lillard is on his way to Milwaukee, where he’ll form a superteam with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who made his feelings about staying with the Bucks clear not long ago. Jrue Holiday and Deandre head to the Blazers in the deal, while Phoenix gets Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson. Lillard should play big minutes for his new team, and his fantasy value isn’t likely to take a big hit. He should still be expected to post first or second-round numbers based on his scoring, shooting and assist numbers.

There have been so many rumors surrounding Dame for the past few months, but after Yahoo’s Jake Fischer reported that the Raptors could end up landing Lillard, Spears seems to be hearing the same thing. Lillard would be quite the replacement for Fred VanVleet, though the Raptors would likely have to part with some of their young talent and draft picks. Still, Dame, Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby would be a formidable squad in the East. Spears also reported that multiple NBA GMs expect Dame to be out of Portland by media day, which is next week.

Another day, another rumor regarding Lillard’s NBA future. October 2, which would be Media Day for the Blazers, is viewed as an unofficial deadline of sorts to get something done, as having the veteran guard in training camp would make for an awkward situation. Miami has been reported to be Lillard’s preferred destination, but there hasn’t been much movement on that front, according to multiple media reports over the last few days. Per Fischer’s most recent report, some around the league view Toronto and Chicago as possible destinations for Lillard, with Phoenix and Utah being franchises that could help facilitate a multi-team trade. Should Toronto acquire Lillard, his arrival would impact the fantasy values of Dennis Schroder and Scottie Barnes the most. Schroder projects to be a late-round option at best in most leagues, while fewer opportunities to play on the ball would cut into Barnes’ value as a potential top-50 player.

Marang’s report regarding Lillard’s future in Portland was the second of the day, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst saying on a podcast that the team was working to get something done before camp begins. While Miami is at the top of the guard’s wish list, neither report mentioned specific teams as being involved in the discussions. Lillard being traded would most impact Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, as they’re viewed by many as Portland’s backcourt of the future. While Anfernee Simons could be in for a short-term bump to his fantasy value, his name has also come up in trade rumors this offseason.

Lillard has long maintained that he wants to be traded to a title contender, with the Heat being his highly preferred option. But Portland and Miami didn’t make much headway in prior conversations, hence the All-Star guard’s address remaining unchanged. As for a potential move to another team, Charania reported that he doubts that Lillard would even report if traded somewhere other than Miami. “At this point… the only two training camps that Damian Lillard would report to, in theory: Portland and Miami,” Charania said. Lillard still being in Portland has resulted in a “holding pattern” of sorts throughout the league, with it being reported on Monday by Marc Stein that Kelly Oubre could be in play for the Heat...but only in the aftermath of this trade being consummated.

Reath, who played for the Trail Blazers Summer League, started for Australia during the recently completed FIBA World Cup. In five appearances, he averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 14.6 minutes. Reath, who spent last season with Al Riyadi in Lebanon, shot 17-of-21 from the field for the Australians. His signing is unlikely to significantly impact fantasy basketball this season.