The Portland Trail Blazers were expected to be more willing to part ways with Robert Williams III this year's trade deadline compared to last season. They ultimately held onto the talented but injury-prone big man, with their only move coming on the margins, acquiring sharpshooter Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks.
But it shouldn't be that surprising that Williams survived another trade deadline. The Blazers want to make a playoff push, and anyone who has watched this team this season knows they need Williams around to make that happen.
The case for trading him was that he's boosted his trade value by finally showing he's healthy and impactful. But the catch-22 is that's exactly why he's valuable to the Blazers. Ultimately, he's more valuable to this team's end-of-season run than he is on the trade market, especially given his injury history and expiring contract.
Robert Williams III is more valuable to Portland than anything the trade market could offer
The Blazers lost frontcourt depth with Duop Reath's season-ending foot surgery, including him as the salary filler in their Krejci deal. But the reality is, the Blazers didn't have reliable frontcourt depth, even with all four centers.
Reath completely fell out of Tiago Splitter's rotation, while Yang Hansen has had a rough adjustment to the NBA with rookie growing pains. Splitter has said he doesn't want to throw Hansen into the fire, which is evident by the fact that the Blazers rookie averages just 7.5 minutes per game. That's the main reason why Williams needs to stay as a bridge for Hansen.
Time Lord has suddenly become the only reliable option to spell Donovan Clingan, and that's much more valuable than a handful of second-round picks or anything Portland's front office could realistically get in return.
It would be one thing if the Blazers were rebuilding and fine with the idea of extending their postseason drought to five. But they've made it clear, both through their words and actions -- such as the win-now trade for Jrue Holiday -- that they are ready to win now. There also may be an increased sense of urgency for this team to win, with incoming owner Tom Dundon set to take over this year.
The Blazers are aligned with their desire for a playoff push and a patient approach to Hansen's development, who appears to be a major project at age 20. But to achieve both, the Blazers still need Williams on the roster. Hansen's simply not ready to be the immediate backup for Clingan, not on a team that wants to make the playoffs and has such a thin margin for error in the Western Conference.
Portland continues to play the long game with its high-risk, high-reward rookie. But in the meantime, they still need Williams to help make the playoffs.