It's a matter of when, not if, the Portland Trail Blazers make a move in 2025. Only a handful of players seem truly off-limits. That makes them an exciting team to keep an eye on this new year, especially with the unpredictability surrounding their unfinished roster. The Blazers can decide to take their roster in a variety of different directions, making it an important year in shaping their rebuild.
1. Jerami Grant
The most obvious piece to be moved is Jerami Grant, as he doesn't fit the rebuilding timeline at 30 years old. His $29.8 million salary isn't horrible for a player of his caliber, but it's also a contract the Blazers shouldn't want to have on their books. Grant has a player option for $36.4 million in 2027-28, and keeping him around long-term limits Portland's financial flexibility, potentially getting in the way of adding pieces who better fit their timeline.
Grant is having a down year by his standards, averaging 15.0 points and shooting 38.2 percent from the field. Despite this, he should have suitors at the trade deadline, given his proven track record and ability to seamlessly fit any roster with his length and ability to space the floor.
Of all players on the Blazers' roster, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report believes Grant is the 'most likely' to be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline.
2. Deandre Ayton
Another player who doesn't appear to be part of Portland's long-term plans is Deandre Ayton after they invested a top-ten pick in Donovan Clingan this past summer.
Ayton is owed roughly $70 million over the next two seasons, complicating finding an interested suitor who can make the deal work financially under the new CBA. With Ayton's contract expiring at the end of next season, it would make sense for Portland to move on from him this year before risking letting him walk for nothing.
Highkin mentions that a trade involving Ayton is "most likely to happen this summer, rather than at the deadline," noting that it's easier to match salary in the offseason since teams can have more than 15 players on the roster.
The Blazers will have a difficult decision to make surrounding their center position. Ayton provides another offensive dimension that Clingan and Robert Williams III can't offer. That said, with a contract that large, it's still in their best interest to move on from Ayton and start fresh by building around Clingan.
3. Matisse Thybulle
Matisse Thybulle has yet to play a game in 2024-25. Initially, he was recovering from offseason knee surgery but suffered a setback in the form of a Grade 2 right ankle sprain. There's no set date for his expected return, but Thybulle should be back in time to prove to other teams he's healthy, which will boost his trade value before the Feb. 6 deadline. If that does happen, the Blazers would be wise to explore trades.
Thybulle has a player option for next season that he could potentially decline, making it risky for them to keep him around, especially since they have no playoff aspirations this season. They also have a younger, cheaper version of Thybulle in Toumani Camara, who possesses legitimate All-Defensive Team potential.
4. Duop Reath
Jake Fischer published a piece on The Stein Line covering the increased value of minimum contracts under the new CBA as teams are much more restricted financially. Fischer mentioned Duop Reath as a target, saying he could be worth a few second-round picks for tax-strapped teams needing another center.
Reath is expendable for Portland, given their excess centers and the fact that Chauncey Billups has buried him at the end of the bench rotation. Reath averages just 6.1 minutes this season and has even lost backup center minutes to Jabari Walker and Avdija when Clingan and Williams have been out.
You could make a strong case that Reath is being underutilized in Portland. But since that's the reality, he's now expendable, especially with the reported market surrounding him.
5. Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups entered the 2024-25 season as one of three coaches on the hot seat, along with Memphis' Taylor Jenkins and New Orleans' Willie Green, per John Hollinger of The Athletic.
One would assume that Jenkins is safe, as the Grizzlies sit second in the Western Conference at 23-11. But Billups and Green haven't helped their cases, as the Blazers and Pelicans are 13th and 15th in the West, respectively.
Another thing that may not help Billups is how rejuvenated the Blazers looked in his two-game absence. Sure, it's a small sample size and was against weak competition (the Jazz and Mavericks without Luka Doncic), but Portland looked like a completely different team, and Scoot Henderson looked like a completely different player under Nate Bjorkgren.
Billups does have a fifth-year option for next season, but it seems unlikely that Portland will decide to pick that up as of now.
Other Blazers that could be on the move in 2025
Anfernee Simons
On the one hand, it makes sense to move Anfernee Simons because his contract is up after next season. The Blazers shouldn't want to pay an undersized guard who is a defensive liability and a high-volume scorer over $30 million a year, which is what it will likely cost to retain him.
On the other hand, they still aren't sure what exactly they have in Henderson and whether he's their long-term starting point guard going forward. They also desperately need shooting help, and Simons is one of the best shooters on the roster, connecting on 38.1 percent of his three-point attempts in his career. Simons still fits Portland's rebuilding timeline at 25 years old, so we predict they will keep him around a bit longer as an insurance policy in case Henderson doesn't pan out.
But Simons is undoubtedly a trade candidate, and it wouldn't be surprising if he's traded in 2025, either.
Robert Williams III
If the Blazers find someone willing to take on Ayton's massive contract, it makes more sense to keep Williams around. Williams is a hot commodity at the deadline despite his lengthy injury history. But the latest intel suggests that the Blazers may hold onto Williams.
Fischer wrote that the Blazers aren't "eager to part ways with Williams just yet." Time will tell if that remains the case as we get closer to February.
Dalano Banton and Jabari Walker
Two Blazers who are free agents after this season are Dalano Banton (unrestricted) and Jabari Walker (restricted). Both have played serviceable roles off the bench for the Blazers this season, particularly the former. But there's a world where neither is on the team entering 2025-26, whether that means they are traded or walk in free agency.