The trade deadline is coming for the Trail Blazers. What moves are they likely to make and what will influence their decisions at the deadline?
It’s tough as a fan to sit by and see this Trail Blazers team flounder around below .500. After making the playoffs for six straight seasons that included an amazing trip to the western conference finals last season, this has been a tough pill to swallow.
With the trade deadline pending, there are a few different scenarios on the table. Which moves are they likely to make at the deadline and what would influence these decisions?
Expiring Salaries
The first and most important thing to consider is the two expiring salaries of Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore. The Blazers don’t have cap space next season so they have to trade at least one if not both of these expiring players. Fans may think that keeping Whiteside and Bazemore on the roster is more important at the moment, but if they leave for nothing then the team will be appreciably worse in the future.
Keeping Whiteside for production isn’t a smart move, if this team was rolling and featuring strongly in the playoff race then maybe we could make a case for keeping him. But keeping him and letting him expire is a bad idea, the value of his expiring contract is a lot more valuable than his current production.
Bazemore is the same to an extent, there is maybe a small case to bring back Bazemore next year on a lesser deal as the Blazers will have his bird rights.
For people who don’t know, Bird Rights are an exception under the NBA’s CBA agreement when a player has a three-year or longer contract, the last team he played for when that contract expires is able to go over the salary cap to re-sign this player.
Bazemore’s market value isn’t $19 million though, that’s what his current contract is, but his market value is a lot less. This means that he may be able to re-sign with the team at the around 6 or 8 million, but then the Blazers lose the ability to bring in someone else who is earning $19 million and worth that amount.
This is the same with Whiteside. These two earn almost $50 million together and the Blazers need to use these salaries to bring in players that fit for the future.
Big man rotation
This is where things get complex. Even if Whiteside was playing terribly ( which he isn’t ) they would still need his minutes and production at center. He is the only true big on the roster that’s fit. Carmelo Anthony has been playing well at the four but he can only play the three and four and he doesn’t protect the rim or rebound particularly well. Melo has been great at the veteran’s minimum but he has his limitations.
Considering the above situation with the expiring salaries, Whiteside needs to be traded. The problem is he can’t be moved while there is no other fit center on the roster. Skal Labissiere can’t start, he is probably a twenty-minute a night guy at most at this point in his career. He is also injured currently.
Jusuf Nurkic is returning around the deadline. That would mean that if they were to trade Whiteside, it would need to be for a starting center who was a good rebounder and rim protector. They can’t rely on Nurkic’s production until they actually see him on court.
The person they trade for would also have to be ok with playing less when Zach Collins and Nurkic return. This isn’t a big deal but is another small wrinkle when thinking about trades.
Whiteside obviously can’t be traded while there isn’t another thirty-minute a night center on the roster, this also means when they trade Whiteside that they need to bring in another center in that trade or beforehand.
Considering all the above, the next few pages will detail the moves this team could maximise their assets for this season and the future.