Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers (photo by Erik Drost via Flickr)
With less than a month left until the NBA trade deadline on February 9, we are now entering the prime point of roster inspection. Who should still be on the Portland Trail Blazers roster post-deadline? Who should be moved? Is there an elephant in the room that nobody is taking about?
Of course, this list starts with Damian Lillard. He is the Portland Trail Blazers best player and star attraction.
Jerami Grant has outperformed expectations. General Manager Joe Cronin should re-sign him as a long-term cornerstone piece.
Recent defensive struggles have reminded everyone that Shaedon Sharpe is only 19 years old. However, the flashes of potential he shows put him on this short list of near-untouchables.
Justice Winslow’s absence is proving to highlight what a key cog he is coming off the Blazers bench. team’s bench play. If Portland doesn’t have a similar skillset replacement, they better be planning on re-signing him over the summer.
One of the many issues head coach Chauncey Billups had last year was running out lineups that were undersized and out of position. Unfortunately, this problem has continued into this season.
“Swingman” Josh Hart is doing the best he can as a starting small forward. He’s a great athlete and key contributor, but at 6’5″ is not a small forward.
No one can fault the effort Drew Eubanks gives when he’s on the court. To his credit, he is doing the best he can as the Portland Trail Blazers’ backup center, but his lack of size in that position hurts him and the team.
It’s heartbreaking that Nassir Little can’t stay healthy enough to help the team. His contract only sounds like a good deal if he can stay on the court.
Put Gary Payton II in this same category. If he can’t stay healthy, either, then eventually, his contract, like Little’s, it becomes filler to hopefully bring in bench players that can contribute.
Jusuf Nurkic has worn the crown of the most polarizing Portland Trail Blazers player for the last few years. When playing at his potential, Nurk is a borderline All-Star.
Those games are few and far between. The question becomes, if Portland trades him, who is realistically available, and at what cost? Someone like Myles Turner will cost not only Nurkic but likely draft picks as well. Not only that but Turner will also want a big contract.
This next player is a tough one. Anfernee Simons is just scratching the surface of being an offensive juggernaut in the NBA. He’s also arguably the highest-value trade chip not named Lillard.
If the Portland Trail Blazers truly want a game-changer star on defense or a star-level player who can get points in the paint, Simons is likely the one to go.
Both of these players are under contract and the Blazers should keep them unless they can find a more obvious upgrade or fit.
At this point, the Portland Trail Blazers are still evaluating the youngsters like Keon Johnson, Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford, etc. This collection of second round picks and undrafted players, have already been a bigger part of the rotation than most fans ever thought they’d be.
Their effort since arriving in Rip City has been more than admirable. Further development will give Portland a better idea of how any of them fit in the long term.
A measure of patience needs to be given to this team. Knee-jerk reactions can sometimes lead to horrible outcomes that ruin franchises for years. However that patience is not infinite, it has an expiration date.
Lillard likely does not have many years left of playing at a high level. Despite his current talk of loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers franchise, losing can wear out a player if they don’t feel like that franchise is improving.
Current analysis should not only be aimed at the makeup of the roster but also the coaching staff and management.
If the front office is about to give big money to Jerami Grant (which they should), how does they defend having multiple big contracts (Grant, Simons, Lillard) for a sub-.500 team that can’t play defense?
How does an Owner view that kind of spending for a non-contending team?
These are questions that need to be answered before the dealing begins.