The NBA trade deadline is less than two weeks away and the Portland Trail Blazers have several needs, as well as assets to help fill those needs.
While the team is struggling to win games, as expected, the Blazers are still just in the first season of what is expected to be a multi-season rebuild after trading franchise legend Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason.
The team has young talent needing development. Young Blazers players like Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Toumani Camara have all shown promise, but promise by itself isn't going to win many games. Portland set out this season to build chemistry, solid on-court habits, and develop their inexperienced prospects.
Of course, things haven't gone exactly as planned for the Blazers. Injuries have forced Sharpe, Henderson, and more established players like Anfernee Simons, Deandre Ayton, and Robert Williams III to miss various stretches of time this season. It's made for some difficult-to-watch basketball at times, but ultimately hasn't had a major impact on the team's win-loss record.
Let's look at what the Blazers should do at the trade deadline.
Blazers assets available
The Blazers do have some pieces of varying value that other teams would be interested in.
On the top of that list is veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is the type of player that can slot into essentially any contender's lineup and contribute. Whether he's starting or coming off the bench, Brogdon brings a steady presence at both guard positions.
Forward Jerami Grant is another player that has been mentioned as a trade candidate, though it's not likely he gets moved this season. Grant is a talented forward who continues to excel as a scorer and whose contract becomes more palatable under the impression that the salary cap is set to jump significantly after the new TV deal is agreed to. The issue for the Blazers is that, unlike Brogdon, Grant isn't really standing in the way of a player that needs on-court minutes.
Robert Williams III was a much more likely trade candidate before he had season-ending knee surgery, but some teams are still reportedly interested in possibly taking a flyer on him based on his contract and defensive history.
The Blazers' biggest need
While it's fun to imaging the Blazers consolidating assets and bringing back that coveted difference-making forward that they've needed for a while, Portland should be in the business of acquiring draft capital. That means moving Brogdon to a contender for the best possible package, which is likely a draft pick and an expiring contract for salary matching purposes. Ideally, the Blazers can land a first round pick for Brogdon which, considering the types of teams that would be trading for him, would land in the 20-30 range.
While the Blazers could look to do the same with Grant, his contract is much larger, which means more money coming back in. It's more difficult to swing deals of that magnitude, not to mention that the team reportedly loves having him. Grant himself said that he's happy in Portland at the moment.
The Blazers have a decent stable of picks from the Lillard deal, including the Warriors' top-4 protected 2024 pick, a Bucks first-rounder, and a pick swap with the Bucks afterward. Adding in another late first-rounder gives the team more opportunity to find a young difference-maker at a position of need.
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