How Blazers can still add size with Jarred Vanderbilt off the board

Multiple rumors linked Jarred Vanderbilt with the Portland Trail Blazers in recent days.

Then the Utah Jazz sent the 23-year-old forward to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster three-team deal that also included the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Welcome to the NBA trade deadline.

Vanderbilt would have been a nice fit in Portland. His athleticism, length, defense, rebounding, and energy would have been a welcome sight for a Blazers team that struggles in just about all those categories.

Alas, he’ll be bringing those talents to Los Angeles, which happens to be fighting side-by-side with Portland for a spot in the play-in tournament.

This leaves the Blazers still in desperate need of size. With the Vanderbilt option off the table, where does Portland General Manager Joe Cronin turn next?

The Portland Trail Blazers can still add size before the trade deadline

There are still options for Cronin, albeit less attractive ones. And after sending Josh Hart to the New York Knicks for Cam Reddish, salary filler, and a protected 2023 first-round pick, he has a little extra ammo.

There are a handful of reportedly-available big men still hanging around in the hours leading up to the deadline. They include:

• Mo Bamba, Orlando Magic
• JaVale McGee, Dallas Mavericks
• Nerlens Noel, Detroit Pistons
• Serge Ibaka, Milwaukee Bucks
• John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
• Mason Plumlee, Charlotte Hornets
• James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors

That is not a comprehensive list. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that, if the Blazers do make a move for a big man, it isn’t for any of those listed above. Things will be constantly fluctuating all the way up to the noon PT deadline.

The Indiana Pacers, for example, have four big men sitting behind the recently re-signed Myles Turner in Goga Bitadze, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, and Daniel Theis. Are any of them no-doubt home runs that would change the Blazers dramatically? No.

But the point is, there are still options that could help Portland’s rotation.

Heck, if Cronin wanted to put a blockbuster of his own together and bring Turner to Portland, that would be another possibility.

Hart’s $13 million expiring contract takes a big asset out of play, though. It was a simple way to match Bamba’s salary in a deal with Orlando, for example.

But Svi Mykhailiuk and Ryan Arcidiacono – the other two players acquired in the Hart trade – have a combined $4 million in expiring cash. Justise Winslow also has a $4 million expiring deal. There are still ways to match a higher-salary player if the Blazers want to go that route.

Bamba seems like a clear next-best option. His age, physical attributes, and potential as a two-way big would make for an easy fit with Portland. He would likely come at a higher cost than the other names on that list, however.

Trading for Collins would be another major shake-up move, but one that makes pretty much no sense for the Blazers.

Ibaka, McGee, and Plumlee could be had on the cheap – like possibly just a second-round pick cheap. Ibaka and Plumlee may even be buyout candidates after the deadline.

Wiseman would be interesting. Some reports have the Warriors wanting to send him and Moses Moody out as a package deal. If that’s the case, it likely prices Portland out of the bidding.

But Wiseman was the No. 2 overall pick in 2020 and is still only 21 years old. He’s struggled to carve out any sort of role in Steve Kerr’s rotation – the question is, why?

Is it because he’s just not good? Is he making too many rookie mistakes for a team competing for a championship? (Using the “rookie” designation is somewhat legitimate as he’s played in 63 total games since high school.) Is it injury-related? (He missed all of 2021-22 with a knee issue).

Golden State has always refuted any ideas that their three prized young assets – Wiseman, Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga – are available, even for a win-now type of move. Reports have begun trickling out, though, that maybe Wiseman and/or Moody may be available for the right price.

Whether Portland can meet that price is questionable, but Wiseman remains an option until he’s dealt or the clock turns to 12:01 PT.

Are any of these great options? Not really. Some are better than others, while some might be simply palatable. But at this point, the Blazers don’t have a healthy player taller than 6-foot-9 – so palatable, satisfactory, fine, passable, copacetic, whatever word you’d like to use – would be an upgrade.