The Portland Trail Blazers enter the offseason with tremendous flexibility to take this roster in a variety of different directions. New owner Tom Dundon has a reputation for being aggressive in deals, yet Portland also knows they want to continue prioritizing the future.
Like last offseason, it's much more difficult to gauge who they're going to trade for than who they should try to trade away. For instance, Anfernee Simons was a trade candidate, but few expected Jrue Holiday to return to Portland.
It's similar this time around with Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, and Kris Murray. Whether it's due to poor roster fit, a massive contract, or a lack of progress, these are the three players Portland should actively be exploring trades for this summer.
1. Shaedon Sharpe
Statistically, this was the best season of Sharpe's promising young career. But in terms of his fit with the Blazers, it's been more of the same. The counting stats are impressive, yet the lack of impact on winning, particularly on the defensive end, remains concerning.
Portland could go star hunting this summer, and Sharpe could be the high-upside trade chip required to make a splash. If that's the case, Portland shouldn't be afraid to package its high-flyer. The talent is there, but this is starting to look more like a "the dynasty starts after you" type player for Portland.
2. Jerami Grant
Grant had a bounce-back year, providing Portland with much-needed floor spacing and shot creation. That gives them a golden opportunity to finally shed his massive contract this offseason to a team in desperate need of win-now help.
A team with limited avenues to upgrade its roster and a lack of future draft capital to rebuild could fit the bill, whether that's the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, or someone else entirely. And if the Blazers do make a blockbuster trade this summer, Grant's contract should be the first piece to go to help them make the salaries work.
3. Kris Murray
The sooner the Blazers jump ship on their failed Murray experiment, the better.
The fit is there for a team looking to establish its defensive identity. Murray's positional size and defensive versatility are a valuable archetype in today's NBA, which values wings and switchability more than ever. But unfortunately, that only applies if it's a true two-way player. Having such an offensive liability out there in Murray, a sub-30 percent three-point shooter, largely defeats the purpose.
Portland has made it clear that its top offseason priority is to add more shooting. Trading Murray could be an addition-by-subtraction move to help them accomplish that goal. Who knows, maybe Portland could pick up a young asset along the way from a team willing to take a flyer on a former first-round pick.
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