Cam Reddish, Portland Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers future plans are coming into focus. Their deadline acquisitions look like a precursor for something bigger.
Before looking ahead, we look back at a hectic start to the calendar year.
With the growing suspicion that Josh Hart would opt out of his contract, it left the Portland Trail Blazers with the uneasy feeling of probably losing him for nothing. For a team low on assets, that was a risk they didn’t want to take.
In return for Hart, New York sent a 2023 lottery-protected first round pick and 23 year-year-old forward Cam Reddish. Portland took a low-risk flyer on the former lottery pick as a throw-in.
Though results on Reddish have been mixed, he has made his case for being re-signed this summer. He’s been a better facilitator and scorer than almost any other Blazers bench player.
The real value in this trade is the first-round pick. This is the key to unlocking Portland’s trade abilities this summer.
This opens up Portland’s ability to trade up to four future first-rounders this summer to better equip next season’s roster. Also, where they start replacing Josh Hart’s spot in the starting lineup. Reddish improves the bench unit, while the pick enables the ability to improve the starting lineup.
Just like the addition of Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle was brought in as a test run to see if he could fit in as a solid rotational player that could be re-signed this offseason. Acquiring Thybulle for only two second round picks, this trade looks like a steal.
With two trips to the NBA all-defensive team in his first three seasons, he immediately became Portland’s best defender on a team sorely lacking in the defense department.
Since coming to Rip City, he is averaging 8.1 PPG on 46% from the field and 38% from the three-point range. Thybulle is proving he’s not as big of a liability on offense as his last team made him out to be.
Portland may decide to move on from their current starting shooting guard, Anfernee Simons, to try and upgrade another position. In that case, Thybulle isn’t a bad stop-gap option at shooting guard until Shaedon Sharpe is ready to claim the starting spot.
This is probably the strangest of the Portland Trail Blazers deadline trades. Acquiring Kevin Knox, an end-of-the-bench, out-of-rotation player, along with five second rounders for Payton, who was once thought to be the Blazer’s answer on perimeter defense.
GP2 didn’t fit in with the team and clashed with his teammates. This deal was addition by subtraction.
In the end, these last two trades turned out to be Matisse Thybule, Kevin Knox, and three second-rounders for Gary Payton II.
If necessary, Portland could use some of these second round picks as either a sweetener to help get that Chicago pick back or perhaps fill their backup center opening if Cronin strikes out in free agency.
At the trade deadline, the Portland Trail Blazers added Reddish and Thybulle to their rotation.
The Knicks first round pick Portland got in the Josh Hart trade will help the Blazers get back their own conditional pick they sent to Chicago last year. Consequently, it also opens up future picks for Portland to make at least one significant summer move.
They also jettisoned Payton, who had trouble getting along in Portland.
Ideally, the Portland Trail Blazers land Joel Embid in a big trade (including an overpayment) with Philadelphia. If they strike out on their “Big Fish,” Blazers GM Joe Cronin will pivot to players such as OG Anunoby or Jimmy Butler.
Whatever trade takes place, Portland likely overpays for a 2-way player. At this point, they need to outbid their rivals and can no longer afford to neglect defensive issues for another offseason.
Unless a star-level center becomes available, Nurkic stays in Rip City. For all the fan complaints about him, the team is still much better with Nurk on the court than off of it.
He sets better screens than anyone on the team. Additionally, Nurkic draws enough attention from opposing defenses, allowing his teammates to get better looks on the court.
Depending on how he heals up, Justise Winslow is a perfect power forward coming off the bench behind Jerami Grant. He can facilitate better than most at his position, and Winslow has the strength to hold his own.
If the Portland Trail Blazers can resign Winslow on a cheaper contract, they should bring him back. I’d like to see him and Jerami Grant back for 2023-24.
Obviously, the Portland Trail Blazers winning the Draft Lottery or trading for a superstar like Joel Embiid to pair with Damian Lillard would completely change this franchise overnight. I’m not optimistic about either scenario actually taking place.
Portland Trail Blazers fans should keep an eye on the team trying to cash out their future picks along with Anfernee Simons for a significant upgrade at small forward. A few smaller deals to shore up the backup center and point guard positions are also in the cards.
Cronin will also test the market to see if there is any trade value for Nassir Little and Keon Johnson. Retaining Thybulle and Reddish makes both players more expendable.