One of the advantages of the Portland Trail Blazers' rebuilding roster is that they have several players still on their rookie contracts. Jerami Grant is now the only player who is 30 years or older after the Blazers traded veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon this summer, offloading his $22.5 million expiring contract and getting under the luxury tax in the process; this was an essential offseason move for a Blazers team coming off a 21 win season.
As a result, this upcoming season, the Blazers only have three players on contracts over $20 million. However, there still are a few players with poor-value contracts that Portland should strongly consider trading to give them more financial flexibility.
3. Robert Williams III
Robert Williams III is owed $12.4 million next season. That's a reasonable deal and even team-friendly for a former All-Defensive Team big man, with the caveat being if he can stay healthy. RW3 has only played more than 35 games in two of six seasons so far in his NBA career. He's an elite defensive anchor when he's on the court, but the issue is that he needs to be more reliable to warrant being paid over ten million a year.
Until he can show he can play for at least more than half of an NBA season, Williams won't be worth his contract, which expires at the end of the 2025-26 season. Other teams know this, too, which makes it more challenging for the Blazers to move him and get significant assets in return until he can prove he's healthy. Portland may get more value in a potential Williams deal if they move him at the trade deadline rather than this summer.