In the end, the Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkić, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, three first-round picks and two first-round swaps. The value of those future first-rounders, many of them a half-decade from conveying, will ultimately determine how well Portland did in its busy offseason—as will the return from a potential deal sending out Brogdon.

There's indisputable value in the Blazers' broad embrace of a restart, but those picks are going to have to pay off to fully vindicate this pair of deals because Williams is already out for the season with another knee injury, and Ayton hasn't had the change-of-scenery leap some expected. Of course, Nurkić hasn't exactly blown the doors off in Phoenix; Ayton looks like a more valuable trade chip, even if that's damning with faint praise.

Portland could theoretically add to the haul by flipping some or all of the players it acquired, but with the exception of Camara, few look like better assets now than when they showed up.

In the end, the Blazers had to move Lillard and did well to wait on the best possible package. Credit them for not taking the easy way out and settling for a return from the Miami Heat that probably wouldn't have measured up to what they ultimately got.