The Portland Trail Blazers may have surprisingly landed Ja Morant this summer, but they did miss out on more franchise-altering targets. Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, and Jaylen Brown were all players Portland reportedly had interest in that landed elsewhere. Anthony Davis and Trey Murphy III were even involved in rumors, though they remain with their respective teams.
Portland may have landed a star household name in Morant, but the unfortunate reality is he hasn't been at his peak for a while while now. Morant's last All-Star appearance came in 2022-23 when he was just 23 years old. He's at risk of having a Derrick Rose career trajectory as a guard who relied on his athleticism to get downhill but dealt with injuries early on in his career.
If Portland does want to make more of a blockbuster trade this summer, they're certainly running out of options. While this front office doesn't want to make a splash for its own sake, they will continue to explore options they deem good value.
Blazers should target Michael Porter Jr. if Nets don't reach an extension
One player in particular they need to keep an eye on is Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., who NBA insider Chris Haynes reports could become a trade candidate if Brooklyn is unable to reach an extension.
"Michael Porter Jr's agent is scheduled to meet with the Brooklyn Nets towards the tail-end of summer league," Haynes said. "If it becomes apparent early on that an extension is not in play, then I do believe the next step will be the Brooklyn Nets and Michael Porter Jr potentially parting ways."
Given where the Nets are in their rebuild, it doesn't make much sense to reach a lucrative extension with Porter. They'd essentially be buying high after what was a career season in Brooklyn. One reason to consider keeping him around is the NBA's new anti-tanking policies, disincentivizing teams from bottoming out entirely. Still, if Portland can add some win-now help in the form of a veteran as well as draft capital, it could be in both teams' best interest.
Porter would be a perfect fit for the Blazers' roster, which is currently lopsided with point guards and centers. He's shot 39.8 percent from beyond the arc throughout his career, making it a seamless fit in a Blazers offense that desperately needs more floor spacing.
It remains to be seen if the Blazers will be aggressive for the remainder of the offseason after coming away with Mornat. At the very least, they need to remain open to options to make better sense of this confusing roster.
Porter's financial situation in Brooklyn is one they should absolutely be monitoring, potentially opening the door for them to continue adding talent while better balancing out this roster.
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