The Portland Trail Blazers are a wild-card team to watch this offseason. Some are expecting a blockbuster deal under Tom Dundon, but this Blazers roster doesn't necessarily need a significant splash to give itself a chance at a deep playoff run.
The return of Damian Lillard and continued development of their youth should already make this a much more dangerous team next season, especially considering the number of injuries they had to endure. A move on the margins for a sleeper trade target could be just the piece required to at least give them a chance to make significant noise in the Western Conference.
Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have all 15 players under contract for next season and face both a roster and financial crunch with extensions on the horizon. That should make Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe available for trade, considering their limited roles in the postseason. It's rarely a bad idea to acquire a player the Thunder front office has invested in, and Wiggins in particular has a chance to breakout in an increased role elsewhere.
GM Joe Cronin has valued team-friendly contracts in past deals, most notably stealing Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards. Wiggins could be next in line, as someone who's owed less than $10 million annually over the next three seasons.
PJ Washington, Dallas Mavericks
PJ Washington is another player under contract for multiple seasons, and could be a trade candidate as the Dallas Mavericks look to align more closely with the timeline of Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. As an underrated role player, Washington could provide Portland with much-needed frontcourt depth.
The one hesitancy here is the streaky three-point shooting. Washington connected on 38.1 percent of his attempts last year, only for that to decline all the way to 32.5 percent this season. If Portland believes in their floor-spacing ability, Washington could either provide them with depth or a Jerami Grant replacement, depending on the direction they take the roster this summer.
Santi Aldama, Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies shipped star Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline and now find themselves building around a promising young core of Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and the No. 3 overall selection in this year's draft. Signs point to Duke's Cameron Boozer being the most likely prospect selected here, which would make Santi Aldama even more expendable in the frontcourt.
He's had an underrated career in Memphis and would be a good fit in Portland given his age (25) and ability to play both the four and five spots. That gives them the ability to go double big with Aldama and Donovan Clingan, a dimension Portland lacked this season. It also provides insurance for their center depth, should Robert Williams III walk in free agency or the Yang Hansen draft gamble never pan out.
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