The Portland Trail Blazers have been relatively quiet as we approach the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Have they been too quiet to the point where a move could be on the horizon? Time will tell, but it's exciting that we are finally at that point in the season.
As a team with no playoff expectations, the Blazers' season is largely going to be defined by the acquisitions they make (or don't make) leading up to the deadline. These next two weeks will be pivotal for the trajectory of their rebuild.
3. Shooting
Portland's shooting woes are nothing new; they finished last in three-point percentage in 2023-24. Unsurprisingly, the Blazers remain bottom five in three-point efficiency this season, as they did very little to address that issue in the offseason.
To make matters worse, two of their best shooters -- Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons -- are trade candidates and don't fit into Portland's rebuilding plans (especially the former).
On one hand, it could be viewed as a positive that the Blazers can't shoot well. Three-point shooting has become such a deciding factor on whether a team wins or loses, and solving this problem early in their rebuild could cause the Blazers to be even more so in "no man's land." That could risk becoming a team with no expectations of a deep playoff run but also one that continually picks toward the end of the lottery.
On the other hand, Portland's lack of three-point shooting is noticeably hindering the development of their young core, specifically Scoot Henderson and, to a lesser extent, Shaedon Sharpe. These two athletic guards are at their best when they get downhill and attack the paint, but Portland's congested offense doesn't do a good job of spacing the floor to optimize their strengths. The development of Henderson and Sharpe should take precedence here.
2. Upside
Besides shooting, the Blazers have several other glaring roster needs, as does any team toward the bottom of the league standings. They obviously must address and prioritize these issues eventually. However, Portland is just in the second year of its full-on rebuilding phase and life without Damian Lillard. They still have a jumbled roster as they continue to stockpile as many young assets as possible. That's typically the correct way to rebuild, as players panning out in the NBA are unpredictable.
You want as many at-bats at acquiring a potential All-Star-level talent as possible. Making a deep playoff run is incredibly difficult without a top 10-15 player in the league leading the way. The Blazers are one of the furthest teams in the league from having that level of talent.
Entering the season, Jerami Grant was ranked by experts as the team's best player, yet only had an average ranking of 78th in the league. With Grant's relative struggles this season, we don't know who the best player on their roster is (we think it's Deni Avdija, but you could make a strong case for a few players).
Sharpe and Henderson still have ways to go in their career, but both possess the All-Star-level upside that the Blazers desperately need. It's easier said than done, but the Blazers need to try to add more high-upside players into the mix to give themselves more chances that one pans out and becomes the face of their rebuild.
1. Trading veterans
It's harder to find a high-upside player like this via trade, as teams would understandably be reluctant to part ways with a player who fits that mold. The more likely path to acquiring that type of talent, especially for a rebuilding team in a smaller market like Portland, is via the draft.
The 2025 NBA Draft is widely considered a strong class with potential superstar talent at the top in Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. The Blazers need to do a better job of bottoming out in the second half of the season to improve their odds of landing one of these franchise-altering players. Currently, they have just a 15.3 percent shot of their pick landing in the top two.
Trading key veterans such as Grant, Simons, or even Deandre Ayton, if they can somehow find a suitor, would help them achieve this. It would also clear up starting spots and increase opportunities for their young core, which should have been more of a priority heading into the season.
Lastly, it's also crucial for the Blazers to have long-term flexibility, and getting off Grant's five-year, $160 million contract set to expire in 2027-28 would do wonders.
Due to GM Joe Cronin's stubbornly high asking price on players like Grant, Portland has missed the window to maximize the return for their veterans. Now, they need to take the best offer available and get on with their rebuild.