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.
2. Jerami Grant
The Blazers re-signed Jerami Grant last offseason to a five-year, $260 million deal. He has a player option for $36.4 million in the 2027-28 season, where he will be 33. It seemed confusing why the Blazers decided to re-sign Grant to such a massive contract last summer. He's a solid third or fourth player on a playoff contender but wasn't going to be the piece to determine Damian Lillard's decision of whether to stay in Portland, especially after they contradicted the Grant signing by drafting Lillard's replacement in Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick.
There is reason for optimism surrounding Grant's deal, suggesting it's better than initially thought. The salary cap is expected to rise, which may make this deal look more reasonable in the coming seasons.
Grant also seems to have multiple teams interested in trading significant assets to acquire him. How many draft picks the Blazers can get in return for Grant remains to be seen. They are reportedly asking the Lakers for two first-round picks, which seems too high. However, Los Angeles is in win-now mode with a 39-year-old LeBron James and has missed out on other targets this offseason, which could help the Blazers get solid value for Grant in a potential deal with them.
In the scheme of the league, Grant is still overpaid. He's a 20-plus point-per-game scorer and shot 40 percent from three this season, but he doesn't provide much as a rebounder or playmaker to make him the focal piece of a team like his contract suggests. Still, the fact that the Blazers have teams inquiring about Grant prevents him from being No. 1 in the ranking.
1. Deandre Ayton
This brings us to Deandre Ayton, the most overpaid Trail Blazers player entering the 2024-25 NBA season. Finding potential trade partners for Ayton is much more challenging than it is for Grant. Any team looking to bolster its roster for a playoff run would benefit from adding Grant. A 6-foot-7 forward who shot 40 percent from beyond the arc, Grant's versatility and floor-spacing ability make him a valuable asset who can seamlessly fit into any team's scheme and lineup.
The same can't be said about Ayton, as the vast majority of teams around the league already have an established starting center. And for the few that don't, it's hard to justify having to use assets to acquire Ayton on top of paying his salary. The Blazers' big man is the highest-paid player on their roster entering next season, owed $34 million.
He had a much more promising stretch towards the end of 2023-24 but was disappointing relative to his contract in his first year with the Blazers. While Ayton is a double-double machine, averaging 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game last season, he doesn't fit the mold of a modern-day center in terms of rim protection (0.8 blocks per game) or floor spacing (ten percent from three).
Teams would have to pay a premium for Ayton and make him one of, if not the highest-paid players on their team. But his impact on winning doesn't match the hefty contract, making him the most overpaid Blazers player.