4 Teams that should consider trading for Robert Williams III

The Portland Trail Blazers have an unfinished roster heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. One position they need to address eventually is center, as they currently have four centers on their roster, all of which can make a strong case for seeing minutes.

No. 7 overall pick Donovan Clingan seems to be the long-term starting center, leaving Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, and Duop Reath's futures in Portland murky. Something to consider is that Ayton is the highest-paid player on the team, owed $34 million next season. Meanwhile, Williams is on a much more team-friendly deal, on the books for $12.4 million next season.

Regarding talent level, the gap between Ayton and Williams is nowhere near as wide as the $21.6 million annual difference suggests. As a result, RW3 could be a much easier trade target for these teams with playoff aspirations that could benefit from adding another center to bolster their rotation.

1. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in the blockbuster deal last offseason but also recently made a great signing to add another former Trail Blazer, Gary Trent Jr. Could they add another Blazers player by trading for someone like Williams? It would make a lot of sense for them to explore a deal for another center, as Brook Lopez is 36 years old and appears to be declining, decreasing his scoring from 15.9 points to 12.5 points per game last season.

One thing that GM Joe Cronin should consider in another potential deal with Milwaukee is that the Blazers have some of the Bucks' future draft picks, so should they be trading them someone like Williams, who would likely improve their record? That answer could depend on how much the Blazers trust Williams to stay healthy and what they could get in return.