The Portland Trail Blazers were relatively quiet at the trade deadline. Their only move came on the margins with the acquisition of Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks. That's already looking like a steal as Krejci immediately provided reliable floor spacing for a Blazers team in desperate need of it.
While some Blazers fans were eager to see their team be more aggressive buyers in its pursuit of ending a four-year playoff drought, these bold midseason moves often backfire.
Portland's front office tends to gamble on high-upside players. That quietly paid off in their two-way signing of Sidy Cissoko, who they recently converted to a standard NBA contract. But in terms of the deadline, Krejci is an unconventional pursuit as someone with a high floor and limited ceiling.
If they wanted to swing for more upside, former Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey was right there for the taking.
Jaden Ivey's decline justifies Blazers' patience at the deadline
The Purdue product ultimately landed with the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal that also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves. In exchange, Detroit received Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, and a 2026 first-round pick swap. While that's not a great haul, the Pistons were wise to get ahead of Ivey's restricted free agency.
Unfortunately for Ivey, that decision looks even better from Detroit's standpoint, as he's struggled to return to form due to injuries.
“I’ve been dealing with knee soreness in my knee. I’m sure people can call it out — I’m not the same player I used to be," Ivey told Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. "That’s why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is. … no matter how many DNPs, how many points I score, those things are a temporary thing. Jesus is eternal.”
Bummed for Jaden Ivey. The quote "I’m not the same player I used to be. That’s why. I’m not the JI I used to be. The old JI is dead" is so sad. And you can see it on tape, he doesn't have the pop or twitch that he did at Purdue.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 20, 2026
Really hope he gets right at some point.
To make matters worse, the Bulls recently announced that Ivey will now miss at least two weeks as he recovers from left knee soreness.
He's only 24 years old, so there's certainly time for Ivey to right the ship and get back to the player he was early on in Detroit, showcasing why the Pistons invested a coveted top-five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. But that's only going to be more difficult given how reliant he is on his athleticism.
Ivey's career has trended downward, leaving the Bulls with a difficult decision to make this offseason. They could continue investing in his ceiling, but the chances of reaching it become increasingly unlikely by the day. That forces a lose-lose scenario: either they give up assets for a rental when they were nowhere near contention status, or they double down on a questionable investment with a new contract.
It's a wise decision on the Blazers behalf to avoid that situation entirely. Portland's front office is known for taking risks, but this one doesn't seem worthwhile.