Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has a reputation for being a firm negotiator. That played to Portland's favor at the trade deadline, as they ultimately decided to hold onto Robert Williams III.
Time Lord was a logical trade candidate, with Portland expected to be more willing to part ways with him compared to last season. His injury history and expiring contract, paired with the Blazers' consecutive first-round draft investments at the position, made Williams expendable in many analysts' eyes.
But the Blazers have always valued him more than what he's worth on the market, and their stance didn't change at this deadline. That's already proving to be the right decision, as a healthy Williams has the case to be the best backup center in the entire association.
Robert Williams III is finally becoming the player the Blazers traded for
We saw that on display in their recent 121-112 win over the Chicago Bulls, which was perhaps Williams' best game of the season. He saw an extended role in Donovan Clingan's absence, finishing with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks in 23 minutes. After those four blocks, he's now averaging 2.1 blocks per game this month -- in just 17 minutes!
All the talk has been around Portland landing their defensive anchor of the future in Clingan, and deservedly so. But as a result, Williams has flown under the radar this season. He provides valuable rim protection but offers Portland's frontcourt another dimension in terms of being a lob threat and someone better equipped to guard out on the perimeter.
The Blazers' playoff push would be that much more difficult had they moved on for Williams at the deadline. With Duop Reath out of the picture and Yang Hansen virtually unplayable, they desperately needed to keep Williams around for depth.
Whether Portland should sign him to a new deal in the offseason is another story, depending on his market value and potential replacements they could pursue. But if it's a reasonable deal that factors in his injury proneness, we're open to the idea of Time Lord returning to Rip City.
The Blazers will have to make that difficult decision another day. But for now, they were wise to keep Williams on the roster. They wouldn't have gotten significant enough assets had they moved on from him, likely nothing more than a few second-round picks and a salary filler. He's already proving to be more valuable for that, as Williams is finally becoming the version of the player Portland envisioned when they acquired him from Boston.
Williams fits perfectly with Cronin's vision for this roster, and it turns out the best move was the one he didn't make.