It would have been intriguing had the Portland Trail Blazers landed Peyton Watson. But perhaps they can pivot to a forgotten piece of the multi-team trade that sent the rising star from the Denver Nuggets to the Cleveland Cavaliers. His name is Julian Reese.
Not many know Reese, as the big man went undrafted last year before appearing in just 13 games with the lottery-bound Washington Wizards. However, he made quite a splash in that brief stint, and maybe the Blazers could give him a look or two if they need a similar but younger, cheaper replacement for Robert Williams III.
A glimpse at Portland's RWIII situation
Let's make it clear first. Getting rid of Williams should be the last thing on the Blazers' mind this season. He is expected to be a valuable member of the rotation, especially since his defensive prowess can help the team mask Donovan Clingan's lack of mobility on the perimeter. On top of that, the veteran center is a solid rebounder and has always been efficient in putting the ball in the basket despite his limited offensive bag.
Some might argue that the Blazers should be heavily considering looking for insurance for Williams, whose 59-game appearance in the 2025-26 campaign was just two off his career-high. In his first two seasons in Portland, he suited up just 26 times.
The organization appears to be well aware of how much of a health risk the 28-year-old is. It even wisely structured his contract extension to shield itself from the possibility of his continuing to miss time due to injury.
Yang Hansen should have already developed enough to perhaps take over as the Blazers' second-string center. Unfortunately, he has yet to prove that he can be a rotation-level player in the NBA. Otherwise, they probably would have been fine if another squad had snatched "Time Lord" away this summer.
Besides, Hansen's contribution on the court would come primarily on offense. It's unclear if he can even be at least decent on the other end of the floor, especially because he seems to lack the agility to keep up with most big men and the defensive switches commonly seen in the NBA.
So, even if the former No. 16 pick makes a leap this season or the next, the Blazers would likely still need Williams. Or someone similar.
Enter Julian Reese?
To say that Reese is on a trajectory to reach Williams' level eventually would be a disservice to the former All-Defensive Second Team selection. Even so, it's tough to overlook his inflated production with the Wizards.
In only his third career game, the University of Maryland product put up 18 points and 20 rebounds. It should be noted that it came against the equally tanking Utah Jazz. But still, that's an impressive stat line for someone who had to wait until his team's 60th regular-season game before making his debut.
Funnily enough, Reese tormented the Jazz again nearly three weeks later with a 26-point, 17-rebound performance. He continued to show his potential by scoring in double digits in the final five contests of the regular season.
Overall, the lefty finished his rookie campaign with averages of 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field.
Why then did the Wizards let Reese go? Well, he wasn’t going to get any more minutes with the likes of Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, and Deandre Ayton already expected to take the bulk of the minutes at the big man positions. They also needed to shore up their backcourt depth and found the opportunity by acquiring Tre Mann in the Peyton Watson five-team trade. However, it required giving up Reese, who was immediately waived by the Nuggets.
Should the Blazers scoop him up in free agency? It wouldn't hurt to invite him to a training camp deal to see if he can give them what Williams has provided.
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