The Portland Trail Blazers missed out on Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, who the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired from the Sacramento Kings on Sunday for just two second-round picks.
We recently questioned why Portland's front office wasn't mentioned among the teams HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported as having expressed interest, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. But now it appears that Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has his sights set on Kevin Porter Jr.
According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, the Blazers and Miami Heat are teams to have expressed interest in Porter.
"After Sacramento gained flexibility to add a point guard with today's Nique Clifford trade to OKC, we can add Miami and Portland as teams who've shown interest in Kevin Porter Jr., per sources, along with the Kings and Nuggets," Fischer reported on X.
As polarizing a player as he is, both Portland and Miami make sense as a potential landing spot for KPJ. He fits the mold of what they should be looking for: someone who can generate offense off the bench with his size, versatility, and underrated playmaking.
Kevin Porter Jr. would fit Blazers' offense under Micah Nori
From the Blazers standpoint, he would fit the roster Cronin has assembled, giving them another ball-handler and shot creator. This is a team that likes to get out in transition but also has an efficient half-court offense under first-year head coach Micah Nori. It's that versatility of having all five players capable of making reads on the court with the ball in their hands that gives Portland's offense such an advantage.
That was previously a strength of the Blazers' roster and a huge factor behind their hot start, though unfortunately that hasn't been the case lately, largely due to injury. Portland is now missing three ball-handlers for an extended period after the injuries to Ja Morant, Shaedon Sharpe, and Vit Krejci.
You could make a case that Porter is a questionable fit for this Blazers roster at full strength because his game isn't as scalable as the15th player off the bench. But since Nori is already relying on two-way signings like Chris Youngblood for a consistent part of this rotation, it's safe to say Portland doesn't have the luxury of passing up players like Porter. There are few, if any, better options to help give this offense a boost.
They don't necessarily need it, given how efficient the Blazers' offense has been under Nori. But this rough stretch with losses to the Lakers and Spurs, with back-to-back games against the Thunder, also shows that it couldn't hurt to add more overall talent.
It's a similar thought process to the Morant deal -- buying low on a distressed asset who has talent. Credit the Blazers for creating the right environment to successfully bring in those types of players, which is a testament to the selflessness and mentorship of veterans such as Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. Nori has proven to be a great fit as someone creative enough to figure out how these imperfect pieces all best complement each other on the offensive end. Bringing in Porter would strengthen that identity for the Blazers this season. They have the infrastructure in place to bring out the best in him, and are also desperate enough after injuries to need his offensive creation.
Portland likely should've pursued Clifford given his versatility on the wing as a recent first-round pick. But Porter could have the higher ceiling if the Blazers can figure out how to best use him. Fortunately, it seems like they have the system in place to do so, and with a spot open on this 15-man roster after waiving Jeremy Sochan before the season, it makes perfect sense to pursue a high-upside player like Porter for a final spot.
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