1 Portland Trail Blazers trade target to consider at every position

F Jarred Vanderbilt

The 23-year-old Jazz forward is averaging a career-high 8.6 ppg, but Vanderbilt isn’t in demand because of his offense.

He’s wanted around the league because he’s an incredibly athletic, versatile, 6-9 Energizer bunny who does a little bit of all the dirty stuff.

In fact, as our colleague Seth Borkowski wrote on Hoops Habit in December, a certain Portland point guard had Vanderbilt on his radar for those exact reasons.

“When asked in a recent interview who he’d be most interested in teaming with, Dame said Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Jarred Vanderbilt. ‘“Jarred Vanderbilt does everything. He guards every position, he rebounds, he’s a playmaker, he’s tough, competitive, and has a good feel for what’s going on out there.”’

Vanderbilt would be an immediate fit on any team in the NBA because of his aggressiveness, energy, length and athleticism. Pairing him with Gary Payton II and Nassir Little off the bench or with someone just as long and athletic as he is like Jerami Grant would give the Blazers the potential to be one of the league’s most switchable, annoying defenses.

If Portland’s second unit is going to struggle to score, why not double down on the other end of the floor? And if Utah is making both Beasley and Vanderbilt available, maybe there’s a deal to be had that would see the Blazers add offense and defense in a single trade.