The 2024 NBA trade deadline is only 10 days away, which means the noise surrounding Portland Trail Blazers veterans Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, and to some extent, Matisse Thybulle will only grow louder.
Brogdon is the most likely to go, although even that idea's been brought into question recently. The right deal could possibly make general manager Joe Cronin part with Thybulle, but the Blazers seem dead set on keeping Grant in Portland.
None of that is stopping the rumor mill from churning and fake trades from appearing, though.
Recent trade proposal sees Blazers deal Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle to Sacramento Kings
One pitch from Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report is the largest trade idea yet. As mentioned above, a significant offer for Thybulle could force Cronin's hand, but it would take a godfather offer for him to move Grant.
What could the Sacramento Kings possibly offer Portland for both Thybulle and Grant?
Here's the proposal.
Grant and Thybulle to Kings, salary filler and picks to Blazers
It's easy to see the appeal of this deal from the Kings' perspective.
Sacramento let the league know in early January, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, that Huerter, Mitchell and Barnes are available if the right trade presents itself. This one certainly qualifies as the right trade for the Kings.
As of Jan. 29, Sacramento is fifth in the Western Conference standings despite having only the 17th-best defensive rating. The Kings are 20th in points per game allowed and actually have a net rating of -0.7 despite a 26-18 record. A boost on defense could take the Kings from a fun playoff team to a possible contender.
Enter Thybulle, one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and one who's developed into a real 3-point threat. The 6-foot-5 wing shot 38.8 percent from deep in 22 games with the Blazers last season and is hitting 37.3 percent from three this year. And he's only 26 years old.
Grant, meanwhile, is one of the most underrated offensive players in the league. He's averaging 21.2 points this season and is draining more than 40 percent of his 5.3 attempted threes per game.
He's taken on the No. 1 scoring role for Portland in at least a few dozen games this year but also averaged 20.5 points on 40.1 percent shooting from deep on a higher volume last season when he was the Blazers' third option behind Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons.
He's also athletic, 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and can guard multiple positions.
The Kings are making out in this deal, grabbing two long, versatile defenders who can shoot threes and, in Grant's case, get a bucket when called upon. Adding him and Thybulle to a Sacramento rotation in need of versatile defense is a 100 percent win for head coach Mike Brown.
So what about Portland?
Grading the trade for the Trail Blazers
The first thing that needs to be mentioned when discussing this deal from a Portland perspective is that the Blazers don't need to trade Grant or Thybulle. The narrative that the franchise desperately needs to get off Grant's five-year, $160 million contract is overblown. So if they do let them go, it would have to be a relatively irresistible offer - especially if they're moving both.
Harrison Barnes does nothing for Portland in this trade except match salaries. He's a far less productive version of Grant; he would be a great locker room presence as a veteran on a young team, but he's past his prime on the court and is owed $18 million next season and $19 million the next.
Davion Mitchell is a real asset as a hard-nosed, high-effort backcourt defender who's only 25; just not for the Blazers. At 6-2, Mitchell would be ridiculously redundant in a backcourt that already has franchise cornerstones Scoot Henderson (6-2) and Anfernee Simons (6-3). In this scenario, Portland also still has Malcolm Brogdon and Shaedon Sharpe in its guard rotation.
Huerter would bring value to the Blazers as a 6-7 guard/wing who's a career 38.3 percent 3-point shooter. He's a sieve on defense, but maybe Henderson and Sharpe could eventually become solid defenders at the point of attack and hide some of Huerter's deficiencies?
The most attractive assets for Portland in this trade are the two draft picks. A top-5 protected first in 2026 isn't that valuable, though, based on where the Kings will likely finish that season in the standings. It's likely a pick that will land in the 20s.
The 2025 second-rounder is probably the better of the two selections; it's the Blazers' own, so it would probably fall in the early portion of the second round.
Here's Buckley's rationale:
"If the Blazers could get out of Grant's contract while also gaining a lightly protected future first, that's already a win. In addition, though, Portland would regain control of its 2025 second-rounder, take on a developmental project with Mitchell (a relentless defender still looking for his offensive niche) and add a 25-year-old spacer in Huerter. Barnes would mainly make the money work, but he'd be hopefully movable down the line as a three-and-D forward with championship experience."Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
There's the "get off Grant's contract" narrative that isn't totally accurate. Then Portland gets a first-round pick in the 20s and a second-rounder; a "developmental project" at a position where they already have a developmental project; Barnes' salary with the possibility of a future trade that wouldn't bring much value; and Huerter's shooting ability.
No thanks.
Blazers trade grade: D