5 Sleeper trade targets the Portland Trail Blazers should pursue

Depending on their asking price, the Portland Trail Blazers should target these five under-the-radar players in a trade this offseason.

Mar 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3)
Mar 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) | Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
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2. Corey Kispert

Portland's most significant need to address this offseason is shooting, and Corey Kispert could be an excellent addition to help in that department. Kispert averaged 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game on 48/38/73 shooting splits with the Washington Wizards this season. Kispert's 72.6 free throw shooting percentage was undoubtedly an anomaly after shooting above 85 percent from the charity stripe his previous two seasons.

There's also a Pacific Northwest element that could make Kispert excited about a trade to Portland, having grown up in Washington and played at Gonzaga. Despite being a first-team All-American at Gonzaga, Kispert fell to No. 15 in the 2021 NBA Draft. Some of that had to do with the fact that he was a senior entering the draft, meaning that teams were concerned that he didn't have as much room to develop as the other prospects.

To his credit, Kispert has shown gradual improvement each season and is still only 25 years old. He would fit nicely with the Blazers' timeline as he continues to develop a more well-rounded game outside of shooting. At 6-foot-6, Kispert has good positional size. His frame and outside shooting would complement the Blazers' backcourt well since they have undersized guards who aren't yet great shooters.

The Washington Wizards still seek a team identity and could be open to shaking up their roster. While Kispert isn't going to make the Blazers playoff contenders single-handedly, he could be an underrated addition in terms of being reasonable price and fitting the Blazers' needs and timeline.

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