The Portland Trail Blazers are not in the running to land the grand prize in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. But they would be wise to sneak into a seemingly inevitable blockbuster deal. If they manage to get involved in a multi-team Durant trade, one target that makes sense for the Blazers to pursue is sharpshooter Grayson Allen.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line (subscription required) that Allen and Royce O'Neale are two trade candidates to monitor on the cap-strapped Suns.
"There has been a good bit of chatter this week about the Suns' willingness to explore trades involving Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale as part of the Durant discussions, sources say, to reduce their tax bill further. After a winter of non-stop trade discussions with various teams, Phoenix is very familiar with the concept of trying to triangulate three-team (or larger) deals."
Can the Blazers sneak their way into a Kevin Durant deal?
That last sentence about the Suns getting involved in multi-team deals should give Blazers fans some sense of optimism that Portland could find a way to capitalize on this. Several of their veterans could be valuable to include in a deal, such as Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III, Anfernee Simons, and Deandre Ayton.
The Suns desperately need frontcourt help and make sense as a landing spot for Williams after their band-aid trade for Nick Richards, unsurprisingly, wasn't enough. And any team could use Thybulle's elite defensive presence out on the perimeter, especially now that he's proven healthy (assuming he picks up his player option).
The Blazers took an unconventional rebuild approach by keeping their veterans longer than most teams would. Now that they unexpectedly have playoff aspirations, the issue isn't necessarily having veterans around -- it's how they fit on their roster and complement their core pieces.
Why Grayson Allen makes sense for Portland
Portland needs more shooting to unlock its young core. They ranked in the bottom five in three-point shooting the past two seasons, which has hindered the development of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, guards who are at their best when they utilize their athleticism and attack the paint.
That's what makes Allen such a perfect fit for the Blazers. Despite his relative down year in Phoenix, he still shot an impressive 42.6 percent from beyond the arc, which ranked 13th in the league.
Allen is owed roughly $54.4 million over the next three seasons (accounting for a player option). That may be an overpay, but it's not drastic, given the premium teams have to pay for shooting. And most importantly, his contract makes the Suns more desperate to move him. The Blazers should use that, and his down year, to their advantage and capitalize on this buy-low opportunity to fill their biggest need.
The analytics show how valuable the three-point shot is in the modern NBA. The Blazers will have difficulty competing in the loaded Western Conference if they are at a disadvantage in both star power and shooting.
Allen is the ideal addition to Portland's current rebuilding phase. He's a reliable sharpshooter who can help them win immediately while providing veteran leadership and floor spacing to help develop their youth.