Jermaine O'Neal openly talked about returning to the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason as a free agent.

O'Neal was a first round pick by the Blazers in the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school.

“I'm very open to Portland. They're definitely a team I'm looking forward to having talks with this summer,” O'Neal said. “LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Damian [Lillard] along with [Nicolas] Batum are some great pieces to build around. All they need to do is shore up the bench and add a paint presence on defense and they'll be right there. It's hard to put that type of stress on your starting five and I know I can help ease some of that stress.”

O'Neal played for the Phoenix Suns this past season.

“Portland is a team I have to look at this summer. That city has always been in my heart because one: Mr. [Paul] Allen gave me my opportunity, and two: that city took me in as their second child,” he explained. “I didn't play for two or three years but you couldn't tell. The organization and the fans really allowed me to grow at my own pace. It's a special place to me. I met my wife in Portland. At this point for me, it's all about competing and winning and the Blazers are doing those things.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers have held internal discussions of pursuing a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge, according to sources.

The Cavaliers have enough assets in the form of young players and picks to acquire a player of Aldridge's caliber, but the front office is said to value Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters higher than the rest of the NBA.

Neil Olshey is targeting a draft day trade in which the Portland Trail Blazers absorb the contract of a proven, defensive center in exchange for one or more draft picks.

"We are going to be aggressive to construct a deal to make the team better on draft night," Olshey said.

Anderson Varejao has been mentioned as a possible target of the Blazers, who want to upgrade at center from J.J. Hickson.

The Blazers could use most of their expected $11.6 million in cap space to execute the trade.

"If there is a player under contract that we can absorb into our room on a team that values a draft pick more than the established player, or they are moving in a different direction and it moves us forward faster, it's clearly what we are going to do," Olshey said.

Nolan Smith, likely playing in his final games with the Portland Trail Blazers, understands why fans often dream about how they could have had Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.

Portland drafted Smith one pick ahead of Faried, who has blossomed this season, during the 2011 NBA Draft.

"I don't blame them," Smith said. "I don't blame them at all. Seeing what he's doing, seeing how he plays when he's on the court with his team, it's very easy to say, 'Damn, we could have had him.' But they could have had Michael Jordan, as well. It's part of the draft. They're mad at Greg Oden, too. So you can just add me to the guys they can be mad at."

Smith prefers not to dwell on his inability to catch on in Portland, but rather to focus on rediscovering his game and prove there is a place for him in the NBA.

"This is a business and things in this league happen in time," Smith said. "You have to get to a team where you're in their plans. That's one thing I'm looking forward to this summer in free agency. I'm going to get to a place that wants me, that wants me to be myself and play my game. If you think about it, there's no telling what would have happened with (Faried) if the Blazers drafted him. He might have been playing behind LaMarcus (Aldridge) and maybe his opportunity wouldn't have come. His opportunity in Denver didn't come until Nene got hurt. But Kenneth got an opportunity and Kenneth made the most of his opportunity -- in Denver. So now all the Portland fans can be mad."

The Portland Trail Blazers are likely to part ways with J.J. Hickson at the end of this season.

Hickson will become an unrestricted on July 1.

“For us to make a jump next season, JJ can’t be our starting center,’’ Neil Olshey said, referencing the Blazers’ 47.4 points allowed in the paint per game, an NBA high. “I’m not saying he can’t be part of the roster. But we need to find a starting-caliber center who protects the rim and gets defensive rebounds at a high rate and that has a presence. And we have to do a better job at defending the paint.
“So you have to ask: Is it likely there is enough minutes to commit the kind of dollars JJ will command, when clearly there are other positions that need to be upgraded? Probably not.’’

Hickson’s agent, Andy Miller, said he is under the impression the Blazers will move in a different direction.

“I think Neil has been fairly candid to me as far as where they stand,’’ Miller said. “I don’t feel confident about the situation. Earlier in the season there may have been mood swings and perspective swings where I felt the tide swinging, to where I felt that this would be more than a rental for both sides. But lately, I haven’t felt that way at all. He definitely hasn’t misled me.’’

The NBA announced Friday that the Toronto Raptors' Jonas Valanciunas and Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in March.

Valanciunas ranked first among Eastern Conference rookies in rebounds (7.3 rpg), blocks (1.07 bpg), and field goal percentage (.620). He also ranked second in free throw percentage (.822) and fourth in scoring (11.4 ppg), reaching double figures in points in 11 of his last 12 games (March 6-31). Valanciunas is one of only two rookies (New Orleans' Anthony Davis) in the NBA averaging at least 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 50 percent from the floor this season.

Lillard, winner of his fifth consecutive Kia Rookie of the Month award, led all rookies in scoring (21.3 ppg), assists (6.8 apg), field goals (119), three-pointers (42) and free throws (61). In March, he became one of only four rookies in league history to record 1,390 points and 475 assists. Lillard also tied the all-time NBA rookie record for three-pointers in a season with 166.

Neil Olshey plans to be aggressive in looking for ways to improve the Portland Trail Blazers this summer.

The Blazers could have $13.1 million in salary cap space to spend on free agents.

“We'll be very proactive this summer,” Olshey said. “What we've seen this season is that this team isn't very far away. We'll have the flexibility to make a move if we choose to do so or not, but it has to be the right move for the organization.”

Olshey will have a decision to make on Eric Maynor, whose qualifying offer for next season contains a $5.85 million cap hold.

“At this point, we know where things stand with Eric and how he fits with our roster composition,” Olshey said. “Now it's all about how certain variables play out.”

Damian Lillard currently leads the NBA in total minutes played this season.

Lillard passed Kevin Durant for the top spot after logging 40 minutes in a 94-76 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Lillard has appeared in every game this season while averaging 38.5 minutes on the court.

Damian Lillard is the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award this season and set a rookie mark for three-pointers made on Monday night.

Lillard downplayed the three-pointer achievement. He broke Stephen Curry's mark of 166 made during the 2009-10 season.

"I'm happy for him," coach Terry Stotts said. "It's something to be proud of. He's had a fantastic season. Anytime you can set an NBA record, it's impressive. There have been a lot of rookies in this league and that three-point line has been in since '79. That's impressive."

The record is nice, but Lillard wants to win games and become one of the league's best players.

"I think I can be a first team All-NBA, I think I can be an All-Star, I think I can be an MVP," he said. "That's just my opinion. I don't know when, but how I plan to work and how much better I want to be, I feel like anything is possible."