December 15th has come and gone, which means that the majority of players who signed a contract in the offseason have become trade eligible. The remainder of those who haven't yet become trade eligible become so on January 15th. That means that trade season in the NBA is here and deals should be coming down the pipe soon. As the NBA nears the halfway point, it's becoming more clear who should buy at the trade deadline and who should look to sell. One team that will likely be sellers at the trade deadline? The Portland Trail Blazers.
Though the Blazers are fresh off an upset win over the Sacramento Kings, winning has been few and far between for them this season. They are 8-21 on the year and posses a -6.1 net rating that places them 26th in the NBA. Only the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs have worse net ratings than the Blazers this season.
They are at the onset of their rebuild, so looking to make the playoffs is not a priority of theirs. With that said, the Blazers will likely look to trade some of their veterans at the trade deadline. The question then becomes: who will they trade?
Here are two early 2024 trade deadline predictions for the Blazers:
Blazers trade Malcolm Brogdon
Because the Blazers chose to move on from Damian Lillard and begin a rebuild, the players they got back for him and the subsequent Jrue Holiday trade afterward, while they did matter, didn't matter as much as the draft capital they were able to accrue. That's why, despite already rostering a plethora of guards in Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and their recent draft pick Scoot Henderson, they were okay bringing on Malcolm Brogdon and absorbing his salary.
But as the season goes on and the need for reps distributed to Henderson and Sharpe grows, Brogdon becomes less necessary for this Blazers team. But he could become so for a contender.
Brogdon's numbers are roughly the same this season as they've always been for most of his career, but his efficiency has taken a dip, perhaps due to the Blazers being a bad and rebuilding team. But Brogdon has had big moments in the postseason before and could help any contender, thanks to his ability to spread the floor and be another creator on the floor.
Brogdon has another season left on his contract after this season without an opt-out. The Blazers don't have to trade him at the deadline if they don't get the value they want. But if the right offer comes at Portland's door, they should give the green light and send Brogdon on his way.
Blazers don't trade Jerami Grant
Someone on the Blazers who is under contract for a while is Jerami Grant, who signed a five-year, $160 million contract extension in the offseason. Whether the Blazers signed that contract under the guise of having Damian Lillard in their plans or not, it was important for them to keep Grant and not lose him for nothing.
While the Blazers aren't close to contending and Grant would probably like to be on a team that is, every rebuilding team needs established veterans to help the young players find their way. Grant is helping Portland's young players do just that and learn good habits, which is very important in its own right.
The Blazers don't have to trade him and shouldn't unless they get blown away by an offer. That's a trade offer that is more likely to come in the summer than at the trade deadline, however. For that reason, the Blazers hold off on dealing Grant … for now, at least.
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