East Powerhouse Interested in Trading for Blazers Veteran: Report

Barring a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-esque rookie season from No. 7 overall draft pick Donovan Clingan, the Portland Trail Blazers are destined for the NBA's lottery doldrums in the 2024-25 season.

Portland also has not one but two solid veteran centers on post-rookie contracts currently rostered, as well as a pair of centers still earning their rookie-scale salaries (Clingan and second-year five man Duop Reath). Clearly, something's got to give.

Accordingly, there has been frequent chatter of possible trades for either Deandre Ayton or Robert Williams III. Ayton, drawing a too-lucrative $34 million this year, may be a bit tougher to move even than the injury-prone former All-Defensive center Williams, who missed all but six games for the Trail Blazers in 2023-24.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently speculated that Williams could emerge as a trade target for last year's No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks. That club, which went 50-32 in 2023-24 and advanced to a Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs before falling to the Indiana Pacers, lost starting center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency this summer. Hartenstein's also oft-hurt backup, Mitchell Robinson, has inherited his starting role (which was Robinson's initially before he was badly outplayed by Hartenstein).

“I think the Knicks will be among the team monitoring [Robert Williams].

- @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/theY9BNUPo
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) September 9, 2024

"Let's keep an eye on what they do, from a trade standpoint, as the season goes along," Windhorst said. "I would say any team looking for a center is gonna watch Robert Williams closely this year after the Blazers drafted Donovan Clingan, and they've got Deandre — who's not very tradable — on their roster, I don't know where Williams fits. I think the Knicks will be among the teams monitoring him. So as the season goes along... we'll see Julius Randle and his role and that contract be a topic but on the court, how that center position goes is going to be a big topic from week-to-week as they try to get going."

Randle, who blossomed into a three-time All-Star power forward after arriving in New York, has seen his role change with the free agent arrival and subsequent All-NBA ascent of point guard Jalen Brunson across the past two seasons. Though Randle is a solid veteran, he is limited defensively and has missed each of the last two postseasons with injuries.

Windhorst also mentioned Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who after an All-Rookie debut season in 2022-23 declined a bit last year, as another possiblity for the Knicks.

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