Many have wondered why the Portland Trail Blazers would take two centers with consecutive first-round picks, especially when it wasn't a position of need. But the two complement each other exceptionally well -- Donovan Clingan as a defensive anchor, and Yang Hansen as an offensive hub.
It also makes much more sense when considering how unreliable the other center options are. They had a logjam regarding the number of centers on their roster, but it was never actually a logjam in terms of Chauncey Billups being overwhelmed with options. The primary reason for that was Robert Williams' health.
The Blazers aren't counting on Robert Williams
Williams is an incredibly impactful two-way player when healthy, providing Portland with rim protection and versatility on defense and an exciting lob threat on offense. Unfortunately, "when healthy" carries a lot of weight here.
Knee problems for big men are particularly problematic, which is something the Blazers franchise unfortunately knows all too well. Williams has played a total of 235 games in his seven-year career, averaging less than 34 games a season. He was viewed as a key component in Portland's initial Jrue Holiday trade with Boston, but has essentially been a non-factor for the Blazers. In the two seasons since coming over to Portland, Williams has played 26 games.
Williams is on an expiring $13.3 million deal, which shouldn't even be considered team-friendly because of his unavailability. It remains to be seen whether they move on from him, but if Williams can't prove to consistently stay on the court in 2025-26, it could be in Portland's best interest.
Given that they spent two valuable first-round picks at the position, it's apparent that they have already concluded that Williams is unreliable and that anything they can get out of him should be considered a bonus. If they did bring Williams back after the season, it would have to be for substantially less money. And even then, Portland must ask itself whether the uncertainty surrounding his availability is worth the headache, especially since they already have the position addressed.
The ideal scenario would be to take a similar approach as last season and build up Williams' trade value by the deadline, proving to contenders that he's impactful and (currently) healthy. It could be challenging to convince a team to fall for that, given the injury history, but even if it's something as minor as a second-round pick, it's better than letting him walk for nothing. Or worse, signing him to another deal and letting this painful cycle continue.