Trade season has unofficially opened up as 90% of the league is now eligible to be traded without a restriction, which now includes those who have signed deals this past offseason. The Portland Trail Blazers were one of a handful of teams to sit out last year's chaotic trade deadline, but there's reason to believe they could be more active this time around.
Zach Harper of The Athletic recently named Portland as a buyer this trade season, highlighting shooting as their glaring need. While that's been a long-overdue area for the Blazers to address, other surprising roster weaknesses remain. Portland finished last season ranked in the top 10 in defense and was expected to carry that momentum into this season, especially following the swap of Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday. While they've shown flashes of being that elite defense and a newfound identity, it's been highly inconsistent, playing a key role in their 10-16 start.
That's not entirely on the Blazers, as they've been one of the most shorthanded teams in the league. Holiday, Blake Wesley, Robert Williams III, and Matisse Thybulle were key pieces in their defensive identity, and the Blazers just haven't had them around long enough to make a significant impact.
Portland needs a more consistent defensive identity
Given Williams and Thybulle's injury histories and expiring contracts, these two should be considered trade candidates. ESPN's Bobby Marks even suggests trading the two former All-Defensive players to help address their team's lackluster defense.
While that seems counterproductive, it's the consistency factor for Portland.
"Could moving the expiring contracts of Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III help fix the Trail Blazers' bottom-10 defense? Both players, All-NBA defenders at one point in their careers, have combined for 20 games this season. If the Trail Blazers make a trade, it is unlikely they will take back additional salary. They are $1.5 million below the luxury tax," Marks writes.
The Blazers have entirely lost their defensive identity this season, ranking 22nd in defensive rating (117.2) and 25th in opponent points per game (121.9). We saw a glimpse of this team's potential as an elite defense at the start of the season, when they were relatively healthy, but that's gone out the window without their defensive role players.
Unfortunately, there's too much injury history with these role players to consider them reliable going forward. Portland could be better off shipping Thybulle and Williams to contenders before their contracts expire to find more long-term solutions. Their defensive identity needs to become something Portland can rely on nightly.