The Portland Trail Blazers have lost 12 of their past 16 games. During that time, a clear list of weaknesses has been compiled, with many questioning if Portland has the talent necessary to overcome its issues from within.
Thankfully, the Trail Blazers can resolve multiple issues in one fell swoop by trading for underutilized Toronto Raptors swingman Ochai Agbaji.
Portland is currently No. 19 in defensive rating, No. 20 in offensive rating, and No. 20 in net rating. It's No. 13 in three-point field goals made per game, but ranks No. 29 in three-point field goal percentage with only the 5-18 Indiana Pacers posting a worse mark.
Portland ranks in the top half of the NBA in points in the paint, but its inability to knock down perimeter shots with any semblance of consistency is costing it wins.
Thankfully, Agbaji is a realistic trade target who should be able to fit seamlessly in Portland. He's seemingly fallen out of favor in a deep Raptors rotation that's overrun with shot creators and wings, and with an expiring contract, is becoming more likey to be traded with every game that passes.
It's been a tough 2025-26 campaign for Agbaji, but he proved in 2024-25 that he can help a team constructed like the Trail Blazers as a high-level 3-and-D player with untapped potential to explore.
Ochai Agbaji is the 3-and-D wing the Trail Blazers need
Agbaji is a 6'5" and 215-pound wing with a 6'10.25" wingspan. The physical measurements alone are intriguing, and the Raptors swingman utilizes them to play a versatile role on the defensive end of the floor within which he's displayed legitimate potential as a starting-caliber two-way player.
For a Trail Blazers team that has athletic wings but lacks an ideal level of shooting from them, Agbaji could be an impact player from the opening tip.
Agbaji finished the 2024-25 season with averages of 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made in 27.2 minutes per game. He did so while shooting with an impressive level of efficiency at a clip of .498/.399/.708.
Agbaji is shooting a dreadful 10.0 percent from beyond the arc in 2025-26, but it's worth noting that he's attempted just 20 threes in 17 games in a limited offensive role.
In Portland, it's fair to believe he could rediscover his form in an offense that has a clear place for him. Shaedon Sharpe is a career 32.4 percent shooter from beyond the arc whose percentage has decreaased every year he's been in the NBA, and despite his lucrative new deal, is no longer a guaranteed starter.
That's opened the door for the likes of Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love to try their hand at resolving Portland's perimeter woes—a task Agbaji is more ideally equipped to take on.
Agbaji is owed $6,383,525 in 2025-26, which makes the task of trading for him rather manageable from a financial alignment perspective. It's unclear what the Raptors will be looking for in a returning package, but they aren't giving him much reason to re-sign in 2026 and are thus likely to be willing to move him.
If that proves to be the case, then the Blazers should embrace reality and do what they can to acquire a player in Agbaji who undoubtedly qualifies as an ideal fit.