Rip City Project
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Portland Trail Blazers: A Potential Trade With Every NBA Team

By Spencer Poole

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after being called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after being called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers
Robert Williams, Boston Celtics (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

Boston Celtics

Why It Makes Sense for Portland Trail Blazers:

Williams would be a quality player off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers and a great potential replacement for Hassan Whiteside. As a backup center, Time Lord provides great rim protection (he averaged 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes) and efficient scoring (73% FG). He is also still on his rookie contract and will be for the next two seasons, making him a cheap yet reliable option.

While Gabriel is a promising young prospect who played well at times this season, it would be better for Portland to get the immediate and consistent contribution of Williams. Throwing in a 2022 second-round pick isn’t too great of a loss. Neil Olshey has never been afraid to throw in 2nds to sweeten the pot in a trade.

Why It Makes Sense for Boston Celtics:

While Williams did play great when on the court for the Celtics, he struggled to find minutes behind two more well-established centers in Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter. He also missed three months due to a hip injury and Boston may be smart to move him for a player at another position.

Boston is in need of a backup power forward, neither Grant Williams nor Semi Ogeleye was able to fill the role well. Wenyen Gabriel gives Boston another young player with the potential to compete for the backup four spot. He also provides the Celtics help on the offensive glass, one of the few places where they struggle, ranking just 20th in the league in offensive boards during the regular season. Gabriel’s offensive rebound rate of over 10 percent would be one of the best on the Celtics roster.

An extra second-round pick is another good pickup. With lots of big contracts on their books for the foreseeable future, Boston will need to rely on draft picks to fill out their roster.