Grade the Mock Trade: Blazers move Robert Williams III to balance out roster

Grading the Trail Blazers’ mock proposal

Reggie Jackson seems irrelevant in this deal. He doesn't fit their timeline at 34 years old and would be a candidate to get bought out if this mock deal were to go through, as Favale mentions.

However, the Blazers would benefit from adding someone like Moody to their young core. He's still only 22 years old and is the type of role player Portland should be targeting as he fills a shooting need, connecting on 36 percent of his three-point attempts last season. He would provide spacing for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe to attack the paint. The question remains: are Williams and Rupert too much to give up for Moody?

"Portland is dealing RW3 at the nadir of his value here and could just hold onto him in an attempt to rehab his curb appeal. But Moody is a higher-end three-and-D prospect than Rupert, and his next deal shouldn't scare the Blazers when he doesn't have the track record to command a ton of leverage or money. General manager Joe Cronin also hasn't helped RW3's market by adding Donovan Clingan to a center rotation that already features Deandre Ayton and the (eminently serviceable) Duop Reath."

- Dan Favale

Favale hits the nail on the head in terms of Williams' trade value. Although they have a crowded center position, they would still be better off holding Williams in hopes of proving that he can stay on the court consistently, increasing his trade value as a result.

In this scenario, they are selling too low on Williams, especially since the difference between Rupert and Moody is marginal. Rupert is two years younger than Moody and shot nearly identical from beyond the arc his rookie season (35.9 percent). Additionally, Moody has an expiring deal while Rupert is still on his rookie deal.

The Blazers should consider this deal if it's Williams or Rupert for Moody, but the fact that it's both of them, in addition to a second-round pick, makes it a deal breaker.

Trail Blazers trade grade: C-