4 Players the Trail Blazers should consider untouchable in trade talks

Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin should be very busy working the phones between now and February's trade deadline. The Blazers were closely monitored as a team that could have a fire sale this past summer, but they only made one trade. It seems only a matter of when, not if, the Blazers will make another deal. They have several established players that make too much sense to flip for future assets. But at the same time, the 7-12 Blazers have been playing relatively well and are showing promising signs of a young core already forming.

No. 1: Shaedon Sharpe

The Blazers' rebuild will only be as successful as their best player. It's extremely rare to win a championship without at least a top-ten player, and as of now, Portland is far from having that type of player, as they don't even have an All-Star on their roster. The most likely route to obtaining an elite-level player could still be through the draft in the coming years, as they are still in the early stages of their rebuild. However, of the players on their roster, Shaedon Sharpe is the best bet.

Still only 21 years old, Sharpe is already close to being a 20-point-per-game scorer, and it would be surprising if he didn't get there by the end of the season as he started rusty after coming back from injury. He has all the offensive tools of being a go-to player for Rip City -- a three-level scorer with elite athleticism, underrated playmaking, and a knack for getting to the charity stripe.

No. 2: Donovan Clingan

Donovan Clingan is unfortunately out at least two weeks after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain. But he's already shown enough to be considered a key foundational piece going forward; Clingan's impact on winning was instantly apparent from the first time he put on a Blazers jersey. During the season, the former No. 7 overall pick averaged 5.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Besides the blocks, those aren't eye-popping numbers for an untouchable player, but it's much more impressive given that he's achieving that in such a limited role, averaging just 17 minutes a game.

Once he improves his conditioning and gets promoted to a consistent starting role, which seems inevitable, his productivity should skyrocket. On a per-36 basis, Clingan is leading the entire league in blocks. While he may never be a go-to offensive threat, he has the upside of being a potential Defensive Player of the Year down the road. That alone is enough for the Blazers to keep him for as long as they possibly can.

No. 3: Toumani Camara

Toumani Camara was once viewed as a trade sweetener in the Jusuf Nurkic-Deandre Ayton deal with the Phoenix Suns but has quickly ascended to becoming the most essential player in the entire deal. The Blazers' biggest positional weakness was their lack of 3-and-D wings, and they finally have found that in Camara.

Two-way wings are extremely valuable in today's NBA, and the Blazers must keep him around as part of their rebuilding core. He has legitimate All-Defensive Team upside and is spacing the floor at a high level offensively, connecting on 37.2 percent of his three-point attempts this season.

Camara has drawn some comparisons to Jimmy Butler, who had a similar career path. And while he may never become an All-Star level player like Butler, it's apparent that he's, at the very least, an elite role player who can impact winning without needing the ball in his hands -- the exact type of player required to make a deep playoff run.

No. 4: Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija is proving his value with his play as of late, as his shooting is finally catching up with the rest of his well-rounded game. He fits their roster incredibly well and fills a lot of weaknesses they had from last season. Avdija is finally figuring out his role with the Blazers. He's being more aggressive offensively but isn't forcing the issue too much, either.

Between Avdija, Camara, and Clingan, the Blazers already have one of the best defensive frontcourts in the league, and they should only continue to get better as they gain more experience. That alone is the reason Portland should keep Avdija around long-term. But the fact that he's just 23 years old and on a frontloaded, extremely team-friendly contract makes him an untouchable asset for the Blazers.