The Portland Trail Blazers' strong start to the 2025-26 season quickly came to a halt after getting hit with waves of injuries. Their backcourt got the worst of it as Scoot Henderson, Blake Wesley, and Jrue Holiday all remain sidelined.
Portland needs a cheap solution to its guard and playmaking problem and should address it by the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Given their unique circumstances in terms of their injuries, roster construction, and rebuilding timeline, there may be no better answer than Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul.
Chris Paul could be the Blazers' band-aid solution
Paul was expected to be the first piece of the trade season puzzle (subscription required), which unofficially started two weeks ago. It's surprising he's still on the Clippers at this point, given how strange that situation was with Paul being sent home from a road trip.
Hopefully, this isn't the way his Hall of Fame career ends at 40 years old. His age and failure to crack the Clippers rotation are admittedly red flags, but this is the Clippers we're talking about. One must wonder how much of this messy situation is on them, especially with reports that the second unit, led by Paul, routinely beat the starters.
With how dire Portland's backcourt situation is and how cheap Paul would be to acquire, it's a low-risk situation that makes sense for both parties.
The Blazers may not be able to offer Paul a shot at his first ring, but he can stay on the West Coast, close to family (a factor in his decision to reunite with the Clippers), while also giving him an extended role.
For Portland, Deni Avdija has been the one silver lining of these injuries, stepping up in an increased point-forward role. But ideally, they would surround him with more ball-handlers and playmakers. We've already seen this to be a problem throughout the season, particularly down the stretch of close games.
Holiday was the calming veteran presence and filled that floor general role exceptionally well at the beginning. But he's only played in 12 games and has yet to return from a calf strain that has sidelined him since Nov. 14. Paul could be a cheaper (worse) version of Holiday in terms of offering Portland both short and long-term benefits. He'd boost their play-in chances while also giving their youth yet another veteran mentor -- something they can't have enough of now that Chauncey Billups is out of the picture.