The Portland Trail Blazers have signaled they are looking to be buyers this offseason. They have already attempted to trade for both Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo, which could be a promising sign that the tide is turning in Portland's approach to team building.
Although they may have missed out on Antetokounmpo, there's still plenty of time for Portland to make a blockbuster trade of its own under aggressive new owner Tom Dundon. Here are a few other star trade targets they could potentially pivot to this summer.
Anthony Davis
NBA insider Jake Fischer named Anthony Davis as the player Portland could pivot to should they miss out on Giannis.
"Portland, to our understanding, as they have been floating around and poking around in Giannis trade conversations, we've been told that they would look to pivot to Anthony Davis on the trade market," Fischer said. "They obviously have Jaylen Brown interest as well."
Davis may be the most polarizing star of this group, given his desire for a max contract extension, concerning injury history, and lack of floor spacing. That said, he may also be the most realistic and easily attainable, as many of these red flags are likely baked into the asking price should the Washington Wizards make him available.
Jaylen Brown
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that the Blazers have already attempted to pry Brown from the Celtics by packaging some of the Bucks' future draft capital:
"The Portland Trail Blazers made trade attempts to land Antetokounmpo and Brown, but were unsuccessful while trying to use two future first-round Bucks swaps in 2028 and 2030, league sources told HoopsHype."
Ideally, the Celtics would've outbid the Heat for Giannis, allowing the Blazers to facilitate the blockbuster to come away with Brown. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're entirely out of the running for Brown.
Portland needs to closely monitor the situation in Boston and whether there's any fallout after Brad Stevens attempted to trade away their 2024 Finals MVP. It's at least possible that the damage has already been done.
Trey Murphy III
Scotto also named the Blazers among several teams that expressed interest in Trey Murphy III at the trade deadline, along with the Warriors, Pistons, Pacers, Hawks, Spurs, and Lakers.
Murphy wouldn't come cheap for Portland, especially considering how much interest he's drawing around the league. However, it's worth the premium given his seamless two-way fit. Murphy could be the ideal co-star for Deni Avdija, potentially fitting Portland's roster better than any other star on this list.
GM Joe Cronin has made bold trades that have paid off in the past, and Murphy makes sense as the next potential trick up his sleeve to bolster this roster.
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