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Portland Trail Blazers: 5 trades to cover for the injured Jusuf Nurkic

By Stevie Cozens

Jan 9, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba (5) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba (5) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Trade #4 – A second-round pick for Mike Muscala

Mike Muscala of the Oklahoma City Thunder has one of the best seasons of his career as a bench big.

The six-foot-ten center has played for many NBA teams over the last three years, but he has found a niche as a stretch big in that time.

Muscala’s ability to hit threes from the center position has put him in the upper echelons of this position ranking wise.

Though the volume isn’t great, he has been in the top half of the league in seven out of the nine years since he was drafted.

Muscala isn’t playing massive minutes, but the re-building Thunder aren’t a traditional franchise with how they approach a season. Most of their pieces are available in trade bar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, so Presti would likely sell on Muscala.

Muscala could be the third big on this Blazer team, and pot away from three while providing decent rim protection.

It would likely only take a second-round pick to pry Muscala away from Oklahoma. As he is on the minimum, the Blazers could absorb him into a trade exception or into their minimum exception.