The Portland Trail Blazers have had more than their fair share of instances where they have held onto players for too long, not trading them away at peak value. That's something that general manager Joe Cronin will hopefully try to course-correct this offseason by trading players like Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III. But Cronin also deserves credit for recent trades where he sold high on players that have declined since leaving Portland.
How he's navigated the Damian Lillard blockbuster trade hasn't been perfect, but it's been good enough to set the Blazers' rebuild and long-term outlook up for success. And the more recent acquisition of Deni Avdija has put the Blazers back into the playoff conversation as soon as next season.
Hornets already want to move on from Jusuf Nurkic
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently named Jusuf Nurkic as a trade candidate. Nurkic played just 26 games with Charlotte this season, yet they are already looking to move on from the former Blazer big man.
The Suns struggled mightily to find a trade that worked as his massive $19.4 million contract doesn't equate to his declining play, but the one thing they have going in their favor --- at least relative to Phoenix -- is that Nurkic is finally on an expiring deal.
It's similar to Portland's situation with Deandre Ayton this offseason. But at least they got a long-term starter at the wing position in Toumani Camara out of the deal.
Malcolm Brogdon is coming off a massive down year
Another ex-Blazer who could be on the move this summer is Malcolm Brogdon, who, like Nurkic, is a veteran on a rebuilding team. It may be easier for the Wizards to find some value for Brogdon, but he's still coming off arguably the worst season of his entire career.
Brogdon played just 24 games, averaging 12.7 points and 4.1 assists while shooting an abysmal 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. That's a significant decline in production from his season with the Blazers, where he led the team in three-point efficiency.
The Blazers managed to turn an aging Brogdon into a rising star in Avdija, and it came at the perfect time as the two continue to trend in opposite directions.
Celtics will have a hard time finding value for Jrue Holiday
The Celtics won't -- or at least shouldn't -- regret the Jrue Holiday trade, as he was a key contributor to helping them get over the hump and win their first championship of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era. But the rebuilding Blazers had no need for his services and were wise to flip him just a few days later after getting him from Milwaukee.
Holiday has had an underappreciated career, but at 34 years old, he's no longer the same level of player he once was. His defense and leadership could still be valuable for another team. However, something recently brought up on The Ryen Russillo Podcast was that it will be challenging to find someone willing to give up valuable assets to take on Holiday's contract.
He's owed $105 million over the next three years. He's set to make $37.2 million in 2027-28, when he'll be 37 years old. That will quickly become a negative asset that the Blazers got rid of at the ideal time.