Anthony Davis is a player the Portland Trail Blazers and general manager Joe Cronin have previously expressed interest in. Trade talks have understandably been quiet at the start of the season. But Portland's hot start gives them another reason to be buyers before February's trade deadline. Davis suddenly makes more sense than ever as a trade target to revisit, with the Washington Wizards continuing to lose games despite his strong production.
Davis is averaging 25.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. He's reminding everyone why Nico Harrison made that Luka Doncic trade. Okay, just kidding; that still is funny to bring up. But what Davis is doing is showing why Cronin and the Blazers have previously expressed interest in him.
Anthony Davis' hot start with Wizards should put him back on Blazers' trade radar
Right now the Wizards sit at 4-9 after a wild 2OT loss to the Detroit Pistons. If they're still out of the playoff picture by the deadline, it makes sense to trade Davis and embrace the rebuild around their No. 1 overall pick, AJ Dybantsa.
Meanwhile, the Blazers sit at 8-3 with every reason to make a move to help their playoff push. Davis fits the defensive identity in Portland, especially in the frontcourt. The rim-protecting trio of Davis, Robert Williams III, and Donovan Clingan would be the best in the league. It would further protect the defensive identity that's somewhat lost with the undersized and guard-heavy lineup.
Of course, the elephant in the room with Davis is his injury risk. That's certainly not ideal, especially if you're planning on pairing him in a frontcourt rotation with Williams. But as we've seen with Ja Morant's injury in Portland's backcourt, that depth can be valuable to rotate and fill in for one another.
Davis is similar to the frontcourt version of Jrue Holiday in terms of his positional versatility and defensive switchability. He's always said his preferred position is power forward. The Loos anagles Lakers failed to give him that, and now we're seeing Davis thrive in the frontcourt with the Wizards.
Blazers' centers would let Davis thrive at his preferred power forward spot
He'd have similar, if not better, success playing with Clingan and Williams, as they would take most of the hits with their physicality, allowing Davis to use more of his preferred finesse playstyle at the four. That also goes a long way toward keeping him healthy over the course of the season. Portland has done a great job with Williams and his injury maintenance. Hopefully Davis would find similar success here as well.
The Blazers certainly have the assets to land Davis if the Wizards are open to moving him before the deadline. Cronin has liked him before, and new owner Tom Dundon has already said he's more aggressive than most owners. We've already seen that with the Morant deal, though that was pretty buy-low in terms of assets surrendered. Davis would likely require more, especially at the level he's playing at, to start the season. But it could be worthwhile for the Blazers and the frontcourt addition they need to truly compete with the top-tier Western Conference teams.
Davis' salary is the other hurdle in making this deal work, and it's more complicated midseason compared to the offseason, when teams have more roster and financial flexibility. Davis is on the books for $58.5 million with a $62.8 million player option next year. That would likely mean the Blazers move one, if not multiple, backcourt pieces to make the salaries work.
Ja Morant makes sense as a salary filler, as Portland's highest-paid player at $42.2 million. Jrue Holiday is next at $34.8 million, while Shaedon Sharpe is third at $20.1 million, which has to be an intriguing option for Portland.
Regardless of what the specific package looks like, Davis is shaping up to be someone the Blazers should be monitoring as the season progresses. Not just Davis and how well he would fit into the working formula Cronin has found in Portland, but also the Wizards' struggles and how that could increase the likelihood of selling a star who's currently dominating the league.
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