The Portland Trail Blazers are 13th in the Western Conference with a 19-29 record. They have improved from last season yet remain out of playoff contention by a wide margin. That makes this an interesting season where the emphasis seems to have shifted from landing a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to simply playing solid basketball and seeing how this young core shakes out.
Whether that's in their best interest in the long run is up for debate. But in the short term, it's been highly entertaining watching the Blazers return to this level of play. Hopefully, they can navigate the February 6 trade deadline to find a better balance between building for the future and enjoying the present.
Deandre Ayton stays in Portland
This is the easiest prediction of the five Blazers, as it will be challenging to find a trade partner willing and financially able to take on Ayton's massive $34 million salary.
His inconsistent effort has been frustrating at times, but he's played much more inspired basketball as of late. Ayton has been one of the integral pieces in the Blazers' unexpected hot stretch, as they have won six of their last seven games.
It's not the end of the world if Portland waits until summer to explore Ayton deals. But ideally, they find a trade for him as soon as possible to clear the path for Donovan Clingan, who is clearly their long-term starter and arguably already the best center.
Jerami Grant ends up with the Bucks
The Blazers need to get whatever they can get for Jerami Grant at this point. He's a negative asset for Porltand to keep around as he limits their future financial flexibility, cuts into minutes for the development of younger players, and helps the Blazers win more games. However, that's easier said than done.
The new CBA makes it more complex to get deals done for players with a massive salary, including Grant, who is owed $29.8 million this season. Similar to the Ayton situation, getting a Grant deal done in the summer would be much easier, as teams can have over 15 players on their roster and more freedom to move pieces around to get a deal done.
But plenty of teams already have their center position secured and likely won't be willing to make the same roster sacrifices to take on Ayton mid-season as they would Grant. A 6-foot-7 wing who shoots 38.2% from three this season can fit in anywhere.
Still, there are better wing options to trade for, especially considering Grant's declining play this season. A team would have to be desperate to acquire Grant -- one with limited draft assets but an urgent need to upgrade due to its timeline. That describes the Milwaukee Bucks, a 26-19 team that must make a move to put themselves into the next tier of Eastern Conference contenders.
A Khris Middleton-Jerami Grant swap as the starting point of the trade makes a ton of sense for both teams. Middleton has struggled with Milwaukee, but Portland would rather have his shorter contract with a $34 million player option next season.
Duop Reath joins Grant in Milwaukee
"Big Daddy" Duop Reath hasn't been the same player this season. He's at the end of Chauncey Billups' bench, averaging just 5.6 minutes a game. Still, Reath could be worth second-round picks, mainly because of the value of minimum contracts in the NBA.
If the Blazers can get any value for Reath, they should take it. And one team that stands out as an ideal fit is Milwaukee. They desperately need to bolster their center rotation as they lack depth and have a 36-year-old Brook Lopez, whose level of play is gradually declining.
Reath could help Milwaukee shed Pat Connaughton's contract to get under the second apron, be a salary filler in a more significant Grant deal, or simply part of a minor, standalone move.
Anfernee Simons remains with the Blazers
It's possible that a team in need of a high-scoring guard, like the Orlando Magic or Miami Heat (depending on how their Jimmy Butler situation plays out), will make a trade for Simons. We wouldn't be surprised, especially given Scoot Henderson's play as of late, which should make Portland feel more comfortable moving off of Simons.
But with Simons under contract for another season and still entering his prime at 25 years old, the Blazers don't need to rush or force a trade if they feel like the offer isn't up to their standards. And as we all know, general manager Joe Cronin sometimes has too high of asking prices for Portland's players.
This one could go either way. Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report gave the chances of Portland moving Anfernee Simons a six out of ten. But if we had to pick, we'd lean towards Portland not trading Simons, as he hasn't been involved in any trade rumors up until now.
Robert Williams III goes to Houston
Robert Williams III is another difficult player to gauge. Portland's center logjam and Williams' extensive injury history are reasons to move on from their big man. But they should try to get off Ayton's contract in the offseason, which clears the path for Williams as a possible long-term backup to Clingan.
Portland values Williams highly, as they should, as he is finally healthy and back to being an All-Defensive level center like he was with the Celtics.
But the Rockets make a ton of sense here due to their Ime Udoka-Williams connection in Boston. And they could use a defensive-minded backup to spell their recently named All-Star Alperen Sengun.