Robert Williams III's successful return complicates Blazers' center dilemma

It seemed as if the goal for GM Joe Cronin and the Portland Trail Blazers regarding Robert Williams III was to play him significant minutes to increase his trade value after he could prove that he was fully healthy and able to stay on the court consistently. They already achieved that as Williams' return from injury has gone as well as the Blazers could have hoped so far. He's matched the total number of games played in 2023-24 at just six before he unfortunately had to undergo knee surgery for a torn ligament.

It's a limited sample size, but RW3 has improved his numbers so far this season, averaging 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per game. More importantly, he's already proven to the Blazers and teams around the league that he's back to being an NBA All-Defensive level player, with 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

Williams' play could cause the Blazers to rethink their strategy

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer recently mentioned Williams as a potential trade chip for the Blazers that would generate a lot of interested teams now that he appears fully healthy. However, Fischer also says that Williams' play could potentially cause the Blazers to take a hard look at moving Deandre Ayton instead.

"One name that people have thrown out so far when you talk to scouts about who they could potentially go to...Robert Williams [III]...definitely generated a lot of trade interest last year from teams...he remains in Portland. He's back healthy now, and I am getting questions from scout friends of mine around the league, wondering if he's potentially been too successful for Portland to part ways with him right now. I've heard other scouts and team executives wonder, maybe Deandre Ayton's the center they're going to move."

It's a difficult decision for Cronin. Ayton is much more reliable in terms of health but is also owed over $40 million more than Williams for the next two seasons. Something to also consider is the stellar play of Donovan Clingan, who seems poised to be their long-term starting center.

With the emergence of Clingan, it could make more sense for them to move on from Ayton to allocate that money elsewhere and address other areas of need. However, given that Ayton's contract is so massive, it could also mean that Williams is going to have a lot more suitors, especially now that he's back to playing at a high level.