The 2022 NBA Trade Deadline came and went, and some teams made some major changes. No team changed as much as the Portland Trail Blazers, as they completely changed their squad. They traded away Robert Convington and Norman Powell to the Clippers, while also dealing CJ McCollum to the Pelicans. After a few years and many attempts to win a title with the backcourt of McCollum and Damian Lillard, the Blazers are now preparing for a rebuild. However, no team is immune to errors and the Blazers are no exception. They made a major slip before the clock hit 3 PM EST on Thursday, and here is the Blazers’ biggest mistake at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline.

Blazers' biggest 2022 NBA trade deadline mistake

Other moves could be considered mistakes as well, but neither deal was as big of a mistake as it was to not deal center Jusuf Nurkic. Of course, having Nurkic, especially in his recent form, is not a bad thing. The Bosnian Beast has been on an absolute tear, finally resembling his form before the leg break he suffered in March of 2019. He had a great stint in the 2020 NBA Bubble as well, but until recently, he never came close to that form. Exactly that is the reason why the Blazers' lasting mistake from this 2022 NBA Trade Deadline will be not dealing the Bosnian center.

To be completely honest, it is difficult to gauge what exactly the Blazers wanted to achieve. Of course, on the surface of things, this is a classic rebuild. Everything on the roster, apart from Damian Lillard and rising guard Anfernee Simons, was on the trading block. Lillard was to be the cornerstone of yet another rebuild, second since he joined the squad, and Simons' play this year warranted him a place on the roster going forward. They cleared a ton of cap space, meaning that they would aggressively pursue free agents in the 2022 offseason.

When that is considered, not trading Nurkic makes even less sense. He should not be in the plans of the Blazers for one simple reason – he will require, and get from other teams, a lot of money in this offseason. Nurk is 27 right now and will be 28 when next season starts, so this is his last chance for a huge deal. He already signed an extension with the Blazers, four years back, and was paid a solid amount, especially for his production. Now, it will be time to get a lifetime deal and if he was to stay with the Blazers, he would severely limit their purchasing power in the upcoming free agent hunt.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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On the flip side, if the Blazers were aware of this and decided not to resign him, then not dealing Nurkic makes the least sense possible. He was worth something definitely, especially with teams like the Raptors and Hornets needing a big man to fulfill their rotation and playoff push. Nurkic might not be worth tons of picks or a superstar, but the Blazers need anything right now that can help them jumpstart their rebuild. They just dealt Powell, who is a great talent, for three largely inconsequential players in Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson, and Justise Winslow. It is very hard to believe that either the Blazers valued Nurkic more, or that he could not garner an offer similar to that.

With not trading Nurkic, the Blazers backed themselves in the corner. They have two options that were explained above and both do not seem optimal. If they were to resign the veteran center, a huge portion of their cap would be tied into Lillard and Nurkic, combined with the looming extension of Anfernee Simons who is having a career year. The trio of Lillard-Nurkic-Simons is solid, but it is nowhere near the level of other teams in the West. If they were to lose Nurkic in the summer for nothing, that is just wasting a roster spot and money for the rest of this season, which is already lost.

The Blazers are clearly ready to rebuild again, but with these kinds of moves, they do not look like a team that has a good sense of direction. Obviously, the new GM Joe Cronin has shown he is not afraid to make moves, dealing fan favorite McCollum, but then he should have gone all the way. Of course, there is always a possibility that the Blazers might get Nurkic at a discount since he does speak a lot about his love for the franchise and the city. Still, with his form and at his age, that does not seem like a realistic outcome.

The Blazers did some okay deals, got rid of their core, and went on the hard, but sometimes rewarding path of rebuilding. However, whatever they do, not trading Nurkic and extracting some value for him will remain the biggest mistake the Blazers made at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline.