Which Players from the Trail Blazers Would Be Good Trade Partners?
A reader asks who the most attractive trade chips are. We answer.
The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to chart a course forward through the Summer of 2024, looking for brighter tomorrows after struggling through the past season. The 2024 NBA Draft will provide part of their solution, but one Blazer’s Edge Reader wants to know if trades could also bear fruit. To wit, this question:
Dave,
I want to know who the Blazers MVP is, but I don’t mean the best player on the team! I’d love your thoughts on who is the most valuable player in a trade right now. If we were going to bring back max value, which player or players would bring the most?
Nancy
It’s an interesting question. I think I’ll throw this one open to fellow readers, but I’ll give some sketchy thoughts to start.
Jerami Grant is the most complete, versatile player on the roster. He’s capable of fitting in with multiple teams, perhaps becoming the next Jrue Holiday, a final piece solidifying a good team into contention. In that sense, he’s probably the most tradeable. His contract is slightly higher than those of his peers, but it’s still within range. I could see teams like Denver, the Clippers, even an ascending team in the mid-brackets being interested in his veteran presence.
As far as potential, Scoot Henderson still has the most. He’d be welcome most places, depending on the price Portland asked. The problems here are two. The Blazers used a third-overall pick for him and they’re not going to get the equivalent back (unless maybe they’re willing to take one in the current draft, which they shouldn’t). Henderson is on a rookie-scale contract. Portland would need to include other players in order to take back any appreciable salary. That makes this kind of deal really difficult.
Deandre Ayton sits in the middle ground. He has a high salary, but the contract doesn’t run long. He is a former first-overall pick and plays center, the rarest position in the game. I think Ayton would still have suitors if the Blazers put him on the market. Anfernee Simons would too, but I think he’d be less valuable from a rarity standpoint, though perhaps more attractive because of his lesser salary.
Overall, nobody on the Blazers ticks all the boxes for an automatic trade. Nobody has mega-trade potential on their own. I think the team could get decent value for any of the above individuals, maybe more for a package. I don’t see a magic deal out there that fixes the franchise using the current parts in trade.
Let’s ask readers, though! How would you answer Nancy’s question? Any specific deals make you sit up and take notice? Share in the comment section below!
Thanks for the question! You can always send yours to [email protected] and we’ll try to answer as many as possible!