This is now the third consecutive season that the Portland Trail Blazers have ranked in the bottom five in three-point efficiency. Hopefully, Blazers general manager Joe Cronin addresses this glaring roster flaw by the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Portland wants to get back to the postseason, but it is fighting an uphill battle until that major problem is solved.
Unfortunately, their options for available sharpshooters are already dwindling. One trade target who made perfect sense was Washington Wizards wing Corey Kispert. That's now officially off the table. Kispert and CJ McCollum will be heading to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for star guard Trae Young, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
Corey Kispert is exactly what the Blazers are missing
Kispert would've been the perfect addition to Portland's young core. He fits their rebuilding timeline at 26 years old and is on a team-friendly contract, owed $13 million over each of the next four seasons (including a player option for 2028-29).
His numbers don't jump off the page, averaging 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists this season. But shooting is a premium in the NBA, and Kispert -- a career 38.3% three-point shooter -- is one of the most underrated floor spacers in the association.
We were hoping that Portland could sneak its way into making this a three-team trade after news that Washington was Trae Young's preferred landing spot. But that was always a pipe dream as Kispert and McCollum had more value than the potential package the Blazers could offer (Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III). Atlanta likely wouldn't want to take on Grant's contract, especially since McCollum's expiring contract was a huge reason this deal materialized.
Now, the Blazers are forced to look elsewhere for solutions to their shooting problem. Last week, Bleacher Report's Dan Favale named three trade targets for every team in 2026. For the Blazers, those targets consisted of three shooters: Trey Murphy III, Gradey Dick, and Sam Merrill.
Murphy would be the dream trade target, but that also appears to be a pipe dream. New Orleans has maintained a high asking price for their rising star, which is intended to turn teams away. Toronto's Dick and Cleveland's Merrill appear to be more realistic options that the Blazers could pursue.
But if this Young blockbuster is any indication, they should act fast. Portland isn't the only team in need of more shooting this trade season, and they can't afford to let their options run out. The Blazers tend to be quiet at the deadline in years past, but there's reason to believe this season could be different.
Still, missing out on Kispert has to sting, as he's precisely what they should be looking for in the coming weeks.