Many labeled the Portland Trail Blazers as potential buyers this Trade Season, yet their only move turned out to be acquiring sharpshooter Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks. This trade was great value for Portland and addressed their glaring shooting need. However, when you zoom out and look at Portland's position in a stacked Western Conference, it's clear this isn't going to be the needle-moving trade that fans were hoping for.
The Blazers have lost six straight games, which may have factored into their decision to remain relatively quiet yet again. Additionally, when looking at the state of Portland's roster, this was a move that was primarily made out of necessity rather than luxury.
Blazers' uneventful trade deadline proves they still have no clear direction
Even with Krejci in the picture, the Blazers remain one of the worst three-point shooting teams. That's a recipe for disaster when paired with their style of play under head coach Tiago Splitter, as a team that launches the third-most three-pointers in the league, behind only the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics.
We love the Krejci addition, but the reality is that shooting is an Achilles heel that a role player won't fix. It's a flaw in their building blocks, and something the Blazers will eventually need to address in a more significant way.
That's why it was so surprising that general manager Joe Cronin didn't have a follow-up move after Krejci. They are expected to convert both Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko to standard contracts as both two-way signees are approaching the 50-game limit.
A consolidation trade seemed like the easiest pathway to clearing up roster spots, but now they'll have to waive a player or two in order to achieve that. With Duop Reath now out of the picture, it's unclear who would be the odd man out, whether it's Rayan Rupert or someone else entirely.
To make matters more complicated, the Blazers are in no man's land this season with a 23-28 record. Their young core is too talented to bottom out for a coveted draft pick in what projects to be a strong 2026 class. And the silver lining is they are better than their record indicates, as they've dealt with one injury after another. But with this recent stretch, Portland may have too steep a hill to climb. An additional trade would've solved a lot of these problems.
The Blazers could've cleared roster space and picked more of a direction, whether that's prioritizing the draft or a playoff push. By coming away with just Krejci, the Blazers are straddling the line between tanking and contending, which is the last place a team wants to be.