While the NBA Draft and the NBA Finals are dominating basketball discussion right now, trade and free agency season is just around the corner. In anticipation of the annual reshuffling, [Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25204579-1-ambitious-trade-target-every-nba-team) has published an article suggesting an ambitious trade target for every NBA team. Hughes has an interesting idea for an incoming player for Portland and gives trade targets for two other teams who are currently on the Blazers.
While Hughes admits this trade is unlikely, he put LaMelo Ball as his target for the [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.blazersedge.com). Hughes imagines a dynamic transition attack led by Ball, with Portland’s newfound defensive prowess being a good backstop for the 23-year-old.
> Ball’s stock is down after yet another injury-marred season, but he’s a tide-lifting offensive leader when healthy. And his shot-creation has never been buttressed by the kind of defensive infrastructure the Blazers boast.
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> Portland put up a strong second half last season on the strength of a defense that ranked fifth in the league after the All-Star break. Imagine what the Blazers could accomplish with Ball elevating an offense that ranked just 22nd in that same span.
LaMelo Ball is also mentioned as an ambitious trade target for the Orlando Magic, citing that team’s need for more offense.
For the New Orleans Pelicans, Hughes has set his sights on Scoot Henderson. While acknowledging that Henderson may not be available after showing improvement in his second year, the Pelicans certainly need a point guard. It was only last month that Dejounte Murray was even able to walk after a catastrophic Achilles injury, so it will be well into the 2025-26 season at the very earliest that he will be available. For Henderson, a move to the Pelicans would ensure a spot with the starters, something that wasn’t guaranteed last season in Portland.
The other Blazer listed as an ambitious trade target is Jeremi Grant for the Charlotte Hornets. If you are wondering what goodies the Blazers can expect to receive in return, you probably need to lower your expectations, at least according to Hughes. The deal as he views it would be for Charlotte to extract draft capital as the price for Portland to get off of Grant’s contract—which has three years and $103 million remaining—while hoping for a rebound in Grant’s performance so they can flip him at a later date.