The 2025-26 season was successful overall for the Trail Blazers, and they should feel pretty good about where they’re at as a team. That doesn’t mean they’ve made exclusively smart decisions on the way to get here.
One move Portland has to regret is their 2023 trade that sent Josh Hart to the Knicks, because Hart has been balling recently as New York steps closer and closer to the NBA Finals.
Portland’s Josh Hart trade is a head-scratcher in hindsight
Hart played some of the most productive basketball of his career when he was with the Blazers. In the lost 2021-22 season, he was a bright spot after the trade deadline, averaging an efficient 19.9 points and 4.3 assists. When his numbers started to tail off a bit the next year, it made some sense for Portland to capitalize on his heightened value before it tanked, especially because they weren’t in the hunt for the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the deal they made that flipped Hart to the Knicks in February 2023 has backfired. The package they got in return has not been sweet enough to justify moving on from him.
Portland walked away from a massive four-teamer with a haul of Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, and the first-round pick that became Kris Murray. The combined impact of those four players has not equaled that of Josh Hart over the past couple of years.
Kris Murray is a decent young piece who has certainly had some moments for the Blazers, even playing some spot minutes in the first round series against the Spurs last month. But he just wrapped up his third campaign in the league, and he still hasn’t proven himself as anything more than an 11th or 12th man on a competitive squad. He turns 26 this August, so his NBA future feels somewhat in jeopardy.
Matisse Thybulle is a legitimately solid role player, and he could end up being a core part of Portland’s impending ascension. At the same time, he’s struggled with injuries so much, and Hart has lapped him a couple of times as a difference-maker for that reason alone.
Hart is making the Blazers look silly for trading him away
Cam Reddish and Ryan Arcidiacono have both been out of the league for a long time now. Meanwhile, Hart is thriving for the Knicks in the Conference Finals.
Hart just had one of the best performances of his life, dropping a playoff career-high 26 points with five threes and seven assists as the Knicks took a 2-0 lead over the Cavaliers in the Conference Finals. He’s been a crucial contributor to the ‘Bockers overall this postseason, averaging 11.8 points and 8.4 rebounds as a starter.
Watching the way Hart competes and affects winning in so many aspects makes it tough not to wish he were still a Trail Blazer. The franchise probably feels the same way.
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