The Portland Trail Blazers have already been busy on the trade market, acquiring sharpshooting wing Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks. But the team isn’t done making moves just yet. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Blazers are looking to convert Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko, their two-way players, to standard deals after the trade deadline.
It’s the Hawks who land two second-round picks in the Vit Krejčí-for-Duop Reath swap … with Portland in the midst of LOTS of NBA trade matters at the moment.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 1, 2026
The Blazers also intend to convert Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko from two-way deals to standard contracts post-deadline. https://t.co/yHgEV1HCW7
Based on how Love and Cissoko have played this season, upgrading their contracts is exactly what Portland should be prioritizing.
Love and Cissoko are key contributors the Blazers can’t lose
Portland’s rotation has been shuffled many times this season as Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson and more have dealt with injuries. Two constants, though, have been Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko. Both guys have clearly earned the trust of Tiago Splitter.
Love has flat-out been one of the best rookies in the league, even amongst a stacked 2025 class. He’s shooting and scoring the ball at a high level, and the Blazers have needed every bit of his contributions. This is a team that seriously struggles with efficiency from behind the arc, but Love can always be counted on to hit at least a couple of long balls. He’s averaging 11.4 points and 2.1 threes per game, which rank eighth and fifth amongst freshmen, respectively.
Splitter had some high praise for the rook in a press conference back in November, and Love has only continued to ascend since.
Tiago Splitter on how rising bench mob star Caleb Love contributes:
— Finn Kuehl (@finleykuehl) November 25, 2025
“Just knowing that Caleb is gonna be ready to shoot, that gravity is there, and helps Deni, Sidy, Jerami to drive and find little pockets to get to the basket”
In the house tn covering MIL vs POR! pic.twitter.com/V2JMUpGDfo
Cissoko, whose career was hanging on by a thread before this season, has broken out in a big way, averaging career-highs in all major categories. He’s a dynamic athlete who plays with grit and a winning attitude. The 21-year-old has been a natural fit in Portland’s defensive identity, and he’s improving on offense, too. He’s started nearly half of his games played this year, making it obvious how valuable the coaching staff thinks he is.
The clock is ticking for Portland to make a decision
Two-way players in the NBA are allowed to play 50 games. Love (42 games played) and Cissoko (45) are both on the brink of exhausting their eligibility. Portland must move with urgency to ink the duo to new contracts, or else they’ll be without two of their most important contributors.
Every game will matter for the Blazers down the stretch as they compete to secure a postseason spot. They’ll need their best players available as much as possible, and Love and Cissoko are undoubtedly two of them.