Blazers Reportedly Have Surprising Stance on Trade Deadline Approach

Portland has lots of potential trade pieces.

Mar 11, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; The Portland Trail Blazers bench, from left, guard Malcolm Brogdon (11), guard Shaedon Sharpe (17), center Duop Reath (26), center Deandre Ayton (2), guard Scoot Henderson (00), and guard Anfernee Simons (1) watch the final minutes of a game against the Boston Celtics at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers boast plenty of potential trade chips heading into the heart of the 2024-25 trade season, which really tips off on December 15, when most players inked to new free agent deals in the offseason become trade-eligible. This year's deadline is February 6.

Per Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of Substack's The Stein Line, Portland has yet to make everyone for sale. But the 3-19 Washington Wizards, the 5-18 Utah Jazz and the 10-14 Brooklyn Nets are wasting little time trying to open up lines of communication.

"Washington, Utah, and Brooklyn, league sources say, are the primary teams that have been established league-wide as clear-cut sellers." The Stein Line team writes.

“When you call them, they’re willing to make a deal right now,” a rival executive told The Stein Line of those three clubs.

"That sellers’ marketplace, mind you, is expected to expand over the next six weeks," Stein and Fischer report.

The 7-18 Toronto Raptors, the 8-16 Portland Trail Blazers, and the 10-15 Chicago Bulls are expected to join the fray sooner or later, but they have yet to declare themselves open for business, per Stein and Fischer.

"Toronto, Portland, and Chicago are likewise teams that are being monitored and assessed by rival front offices for their willingness to move certain players."

Portland is already far out of even the play-in tournament race in the loaded Western Conference. For now, it appears that there are 12 teams vying for 10 postseason spots: the 19-5 Oklahoma City Thunder, the 17-8 Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, the 16-9 Dallas Mavericks, the 14-10 Golden State Warriors, the 14-11 L.A. Clippers, the 12-10 Denver Nuggets, the 13-11 Los Angeles Lakers, the 12-11 Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, the 12-12 San Antonio Spurs, and the 12-13 Sacramento Kings.

The Trail Blazers are the West's No. 13 seed, but are already 3.5 games behind the No. 12-seeded Kings. Portland is 2.5 games ahead of the No. 14-seeded Jazz, and 3.5 contests up on the 5-20 New Orleans Pelicans, who have been mired in injury woes.

Pricey, underperforming Portland vets like center Deandre Ayton, power forward Jerami Grant, and maybe new acquisition Deni Avidja are probably the players the Trail Blazers would most like to ditch. Point guard Anfernee Simons and center Robert Williams III may be easier to move. Two-time All-Defensive shooting guard/small forward Matisse Thybulle has yet to play this year as he recuperates from a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, but if he can string some healthy games together he has a very tradable mid-sized deal.

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