The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the most confusing teams in the league. It's apparent they are rebuilding in their second year without Damian Lillard, yet they are already approaching their 21-win total from last season with a 16-28 record. That's not ideal for a team that still lacks a clear-cut star to build around, especially with the upcoming draft widely viewed as a strong class.
The silver lining, however, is that their Deni Avdija deal looks like a steal. Avdija is arguably already Portland's best player and a key member of their young core at 23. There are a few players that the Blazers should target to add to this core, some more realistic options than others.
Dream: Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
Jalen Suggs remains sidelined with a low back strain. It was apparent that Orlando missed Suggs on both ends of the court in their most recent loss to Portland, as they were held to just 79 points.
When healthy, Suggs has had a productive 2024-25 with the Magic. Suggs is already one of the best defensive guards in the league, but his offense has also taken a leap in his fourth season, with his scoring increasing from 12.6 to 16.4 points per game.
The Blazers' young guard duo of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe is promising, but if there's one area they lack, it's on the defensive end. Sharpe's defense is the main reason why Chauncey Billups is now bringing him off the bench.
Suggs wouldn't be a target to replace Sharpe. Instead, he'd ideally be brought in as a combo guard who can give the Blazers more flexibility in their rotations. Suggs could also be an insurance policy in case Henderson never fully pans out.
In other words, the case for keeping Anfernee Simons around is also why Suggs would be an attractive option, except Suggs is much better defensively and on a more team-friendly contract.
Suggs is 23 years old, yet under contract until 2029-30, when he's owed $26.7 million. He's on a frontloaded contract, as is Deni Avdija, which would give Portland more financial flexibility in the future. Compare that to Simons, whose contract is set to expire after next season and doesn't impact winning at the same level as Suggs, and it's easy to see why this would be a significant upgrade for Portland.
It doesn't help Portland's chances that Orlando's biggest positional weakness lies in their backcourt, as one would assume they'd want to find a complementary guard like Simons to pair alongside Suggs rather than swap the two. That makes him more of a dream target rather than a reach or realistic target for the Blazers.
Reach: Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have taken a massive leap forward this season and are currently second in the Western Conference with a 29-14 record. But they still could use another piece or two to help propel them into that top tier of contenders. If Portland does make a trade with Houston, they should inquire about Tari Eason.
The Rockets selected Eason No. 17 overall in 2022, and he's already emerged as an impactful two-way wing, averaging 11.6 points and 2.1 steals in his third season. The Blazers have a promising up-and-coming core of defensive-minded wings between Toumani Camara and Avdija. Adding 23-year-old Eason into the mix would turn what has been a weakness in the past for Portland into one of their biggest strengths.
However, getting the Rockets to agree to trade a key member of their young core will be difficult without sacrificing draft capital. The Blazers did that in the Avdija deal, so it's not entirely out of the question, but it would still be surprising if it happened again.
One main reason for the Avdija deal was for Portland to get under the luxury tax by moving Malcolm Brogdon. And while Eason would be a great addition, he's not the same level of player as Avdija. That makes him more of a reach target.
Realistic: Kevin Huerter, Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings make sense as a potential trade partner with the Blazers as the two teams could be headed in opposite directions at the deadline -- Sacramento as buyers looking to make a playoff push and Portland as sellers looking to offload veterans for future assets.
A few of the Blazers' veterans would address key positional weaknesses for Sacramento, including Robert Williams III, Jerami Grant, and Matisse Thybulle. Ideally, Portland receives draft capital as the main headliner in any package. But which players could they also get back?
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto recently mentioned Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyes as realistic trade options.
"A combination of Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles with future first-round pick draft capital has been identified as Sacramento's most consistent package when they've looked to upgrade the roster in trade talks with teams," wrote Scotto.
Huerter wouldn't be as exciting as Suggs or Eason but could be more easily attainable for the Blazers. He has solid positional size as a 6-foot-7 guard, and while he's currently shooting 30.1 percent from deep this season, his career 37.5 percent proves he's a much more reliable sharpshooter than that.
That would be huge for a Blazers offense that ranks in the bottom five in three-point shooting in the past two seasons, and providing more floor spacing would benefit Henderson and Sharpe's development.