For the first time in several years, the Portland Trail Blazers have a crystal clear course to follow at the February 8 NBA trade deadline.
Sell, sell, sell, and sell some more.
The Blazers are engaged in a full-scale tankathon, losing seven of their last ten games. Every one of those losses has been by double digits, including a genuinely inspiring performance in a 62-point loss last week to an Oklahoma City Thunder team on the second night of a back-to-back.
This Blazers team was not built to be good, at least not for this season. Coming off two lackluster years and the trade of franchise icon Damian Lillard, a reset was needed, and boy, are the Blazers providing it. They have seen a few flashes of brilliance here and there from young guards Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons when injuries have not kept them off the floor. However, the highlight so far has come from third-year coach Chauncey Billups.
Following the departure of Lillard and most of the team’s core, this year was the perfect opportunity to show what he could do implementing his system and shaping a core of young players. Billups seized on the opportunity, implementing an offense that features the brilliant plan of no identifiable structure, the unique concept of having anyone who doesn’t have the ball just meander around aimlessly, and that the best shot is a highly contested shot. His defensive schemes have been just as brilliant, with the Blazers routinely managing to stay within at least 40 points of their opposition and usually managing to keep their opponents to under 100 points in the first half.
Thankfully, the Blazers have a few assets that other teams may be interested in: forward Jerami Grant and guard Malcolm Brogdon. On the Blazers, both provide a veteran presence to help guide the team through its current rough patch. However, while he has been one of the team’s few offensive bright spots, Grant is on a long-term contract and is the second-highest-paid player on the roster.
Grant resigned with the Blazers last summer before they traded Lillard. At the time, the signing made some sense. The Blazers were not yet committed to trading Lillard and needed a veteran to pair him with if he returned. Additionally, quirks in the salary cap would cost the Blazers nearly as much in dead cap space this season to not sign Grant as it would have to resign him. He’s been one of the team’s most consistent contributors this year and a veteran presence. However, While having “glue guys” is essential, veteran players can fill that role on minimum contracts at the end of the bench, meaning the Blazers should be actively shopping Grant. He fills an important role, but currently, that role is providing the difference between the Blazers losing by 20 points most nights instead of by 30 points, which doesn’t make much difference in the final standings.
By the time the team finishes its current rebuild, Grant will likely be another two years older and his value declining on an already tough-to-trade contract. The first trade Portland offers that returns the Blazers any draft capital and gets them out from under his contract is one they should immediately pounce on. Many teams also have a need for Brogdon, last season’s sixth man of the year, who can be a crucial rotation piece on a contender.
By the trade deadline, at least one of Grant or Brogdon will likely be wearing new uniforms, and the Blazers should have a few more shiny draft picks to add to what is already becoming an impressive accumulation.
Come June, there is a good chance the Blazers will have a pair of picks inside the top ten in the draft. They own the Golden State Warriors’ Top 4 protected pick and their own. Currently, the Warriors are tenth from the bottom of the league standings and outside the Western Conference play-in game. That’s almost the perfect spot for a pick that the Blazers want to be good but not too good to grab this offseason. With those two picks, the Blazers can embark on the next stage of the franchise and hopefully bring a quick end to the current ugly rebuilding phase.
How the roster or the team will look when that next phase begins is a big question. Beyond Grant and Brogdon, not many pieces figure to headline a trade. The remaining roster primarily consists of core players who won’t be traded (Henderson, Simmons, Sharpe, DeAndre Ayton), players who are currently or who have spent most of the season injured (Ayton again, Matisse Thybul, Robert Williams), or raw young players who would only factor in as salary matching filler in any trade.
It also remains to be seen how much longer Billups will be coaching the team. This year’s team has no expectations of winning, and he has done his best to help the team meet those expectations. However, at some point, the team will have to move beyond simply tanking and start to develop the talent it has acquired actively. Next season, when the team figures to have bountiful cap space if it moves Grant and Williams and a trio of recent top 10 draft choices on the roster, would be an ideal time to make that transition.
No matter who is in charge or who gets added to the roster. Hopefully, the day is coming soon when, once again, we can say, “It’s a great day to be a Blazer!”
