The Portland Trail Blazers have yet to address their glaring three-point shooting problem this offseason. With the draft concluded and free agency options depleting, their best bet to do so could be via trade. One realistic target Portland should pursue is Washington Wizards sharpshooter Corey Kispert.
In the 2024-25 season, Kispert averaged 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists on 45/36/85 shooting splits. That was a down year by his standards, as Kispert has hovered around 40 percent from beyond the arc in his two years before that. While Kispert isn't the needle mover that Portland still needs to make a deep playoff run, he'd be a perfect complementary piece to their roster at 26 years old.
Corey Kispert is a realistic trade target for the Blazers
Besides the ideal on-court fit that Kispert would provide the Blazers, a few smaller factors are also at play here. For better or worse, Blazers general manager Joe Cronin tends to work repeatedly with the same front offices. The most recent example was how the Blazers flipped Jrue Holiday to Brad Stevens and the Celtics, only to surprisingly reacquire him two seasons later.
Cronin has established a rapport with Wizards general manager Will Dawkins following the Deni Avdija deal leading up to the 2024 NBA Draft. Dawkins spent 15 seasons with the Thunder under the brilliant Sam Presti and has embraced a similar rebuilding philosophy. The Avdija trade highlighted this approach of a complete roster teardown, with only Kispert remaining from the pre-Dawkins era.
The Wizards continue to stockpile young assets. They recently traded veteran Kelly Olynyk to San Antonio, but a more notable example was sending two second-round picks to Houston for Cam Whitmore. Given Dawkins' rebuild strategy, the 26-year-old Kispert was already a trade candidate heading into the offseason. However, this Whitmore trade makes him much more expendable.
As an added bonus, Kispert is from the Pacific Northwest. He was born in Edmonds, Washington, and had a productive collegiate career at Gonzaga before being the No. 15 overall selection by the Wizards in 2021.
Cronin has shown in prior trades that he's willing to include draft capital if a player is the right fit, and that should be the case with Kispert. The Blazers could also dangle veterans Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III as trade chips Washington could flip, just like they did with Olynyk.
One way or another, the Blazers must address their lack of shooting this offseason. Kispert is a reliable floor spacer and an underrated overall player who would help Portland return to the playoffs while also unlocking its young core. It's worth exploring.