Jan. 15 isn’t one of the most significant dates on the NBA calendar. But when it comes to trade season it does hold some importance, especially for teams like the Portland Trail Blazers that might be looking for an upgrade at certain spots in anticipation of a playoff push.
Players who re-signed with their previous team this offseason but got a raise of at least 20 percent, whose salary is worth more than the minimum, and whose team was over the cap which necessitated using Bird or Early Bird rights to sign them, are now eligible to be dealt per NBA rules, according to HoopsRumors.
Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic are two such players in Portland. But rather than trading away a starting center and a key scorer, the Blazers should be looking to add around the margins to balance out their roster and improve their scoring punch (or lack thereof) off the bench.
Here are three candidates now available for Portland to pursue with the goal of climbing up the Western Conference standings and solidifying a playoff spot.
1. An Orlando Magic center who’s fallen out of the rotation
Mo Bamba was the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. His potential as a floor-spacing, rim-running, shot-blocking, uber-athletic 7-footer was too enticing for Orlando to pass up.
Through four and a half seasons, those irresistible traits have not translated into a superstar center. Bamba has career averages of 7.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 48 percent shooting and 35.6 percent shooting from three.
That’s not to say the former Texas standout hasn’t developed into a serviceable big. Per 36 minutes, he’s averaging 15 points, 11.3 rebounds, and more than two blocks per game for his career. Shooting 37.6 percent from deep on more than five attempts is nothing to scoff at either.
Drew Eubanks has exceeded expectations backing up Nurkic, but Bamba’s ability to stretch the floor for a second unit that struggles offensively while still functioning as a legitimate deterrent at the rim on the other end would be an upgrade.
There’s also a risk-reward factor here. Bamba has a non-guaranteed salary of $10.3 million next season. If the experiment doesn’t work, Portland can easily cut bait and move on.
2. Jordan Nwora
Jordan Nwora was a second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020. He entered the league as a proven collegiate scorer and shooter who averaged 18 ppg and shot better than 40 percent from three on more than six attempts a night his senior season at Louisville.
But Nwora has found it tough to crack a Bucks’ rotation that’s been pretty much set in stone since he arrived in Milwaukee. Despite showing flashes of that offensive skill set, he hasn’t met the expectations Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has for his players on the defensive end.
That wouldn’t be as much of a concern coming off the bench in Portland, though. Any offensive boost he could provide the second unit would be helpful.
Playing a little more than 16 minutes per game this year, almost exclusively off the bench, Nwora is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, the former first-team all-ACC forward also has enough size to play the four in small-ball lineups, if needed.
Like Bamba, Nwora would be a low-risk, high-reward option with a base salary of only $3 million next season, the final year of his current deal.
3. Zach LaVine
This would be the blockbuster of the 2023 trade deadline, and it would surely cost the Blazers significant assets – think some combination of Simons, Nurkic, future first-round picks, and Shaedon Sharpe. Gary Payton II and/or Josh Hart may also need to be included to match salaries as LaVine is only in the first year of a five-year, $215 million contract.
But the deal would immediately vault Portland into contention and add serious scoring – and lots of it.
LaVine has improved as a playmaker, but at his core, he’s a pure bucket-getter. He has averages of 23.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists this year for a Chicago Bulls team that has fallen short of expectations thus far. He’s hitting 38.5 percent from three on a high volume.
Not only would he add immediate scoring punch to the starting lineup, but he would give head coach Chauncey Billups another option in terms of staggering his best players. Billups could keep at least one of Damian Lillard, LaVine, and Jerami Grant on the floor at all times.
Whether or not the Bulls are ready to trade a franchise player like LaVine and reload again remains a question. But he would be a monumental game-changer in Portland alongside Lillard and, potentially Grant if he resigns, for the Blazers.