The Portland Trail Blazers made their big splash by acquiring Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
Now, it's Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard who's on the move, reuniting with his former team up north.
ESPN's Shams Charania reports that the Clippers are sending Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap, and two second-rounders.
It's underwhelming to see the Blazers land a polarizing star like Morant as their "big move" while the rest of the league makes blockbusters for more reliable or higher-tier stars. Portland struck out on Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball, coming away with a reclamation project as their consolation prize.
Blazers couldn't risk a one-year rental with Kawhi Leonard
In a perfect world, they would've pivoted to Leonard instead of Morant, seeing as he's a top ten player in the world to give Damian Lillard a legitimate shot at his first ring. GM Joe Cronin took a more conservative approach to his star hunt, acquiring a two-time All-Star in Morant without having to sacrifice any draft capital. But regarding Giannis and Leonard, it's hard to fault Cronin for not going all in.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reports that Toronto and Leonard will soon try to work out a two-year extension to lock him up through the 2028-29 season. Meanwhile, Charania adds that Leonard "views this as an opportunity to retire in Toronto."
These long-term commitments that Miami got from Giannis and Toronto got from Leonard are the one thing getting in the way of the Blazers making a bigger splash when it comes to these two superstars in particular. It's the unfortunate reality of constructing a roster in Portland's smaller market, putting Cronin at a disadvantage he has to overcome elsewhere.
That's why we always viewed stars on longer-term deals to be more logical trade targets, whether it was someone like Jaylen Brown or Trey Murphy III. Still, the issue with that approach is that, because they are locked into these deals, teams in situations similar to Portland's are more willing to pursue them for similar reasons, driving up the asking price.
The Bucks' and Clippers' hands are more forced, as they want to get future assets in return before risking their superstars walking away for nothing. That doesn't apply to teams like Boston and New Orleans, giving them significantly more leverage in negotiations.
Ultimately, that's how Portland arrived at what they view as a low-risk, high-reward star like Morant.
He's under contract for two more seasons, the same amount as Grant. That gives them enough time to evaluate how he fits with this crowded backcourt and whether they can make his imperfect fit work on a team that desperately needed to add more shooting this summer.
We wish Portland would've taken a different swing for a less polarizing and better-fitting star. That said, it's easy to see how they arrived at Morant; it's only become clearer as teams like Toronto not only trade for Kawhi but can lock him down for the long haul, something Portland unfortunately has to consider when they pursue these stars.
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