3. Robert Williams III
Robert Williams III has become one of the Blazers' most expendable players after they selected Donovan Clingan No. 7 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Portland went from having a guard logjam to having four centers in Deandre Ayton, Clingan, RW3, and Duop Reath. The Blazers might be content opening the season this way. They are in asset accumulation mode early on in their rebuild and don't have high playoff aspirations for next season.
But even if they enter the 2024-25 season with all four centers on their roster, it would be surprising if they ended the season like that, with Williams seeming like the odd man out. Now would be the wrong time to trade Williams in terms of his stock, as he has yet to prove to teams that he can stay healthy. In the past two seasons, he's played 35 games and six games.
Teams would want to see that he's healthy before moving significant trade assets to acquire him, and rightfully so. The Rose Garden Report's Sean Highkin "was told a couple of months ago that his knee rehab was going well and that he was expected to be ready to go in time for training camp. He was with the team in Las Vegas, working on conditioning with the training staff."
The Blazers likely should have immediately flipped Williams after they acquired him from the Celtics. But since they've waited, it makes sense to raise his trade value and move him at the deadline.