Yang Hansen's Timeline Depends on Blazers' January

The Portland Trail Blazers' future will not be written until the team proves one way or another what it is this season. Will Portland hang around in the playoff picture, or quickly prove in the next few weeks it is still nowhere close to a finished product?

The answer to that question will dictate how rookie Yang Hansen is deployed. As of right now, Hansen cannot be played more than mere spot minutes if the team has goals of competing, even if he had a strong outing (four points, two rebounds, two assists, one block, one steal) against the Orlando Magic in a 110-106 loss this past Tuesday.

If the team isn't competing, though, it's a different story.

Currently occupying the final NBA Play-In spot, the Blazers' future really can go either way. Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe are playing at elite levels on the wing with 22+-point-per-game averages, while Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan are providing tertiary scoring and play-making, and rim-protection and glass-eating, respectively.

Just as likely as this team can keep this pace, it can fall apart. Joe Cronin has an immediate trade ace up his sleeve to open things up for Hansen.

Blazers Can Trade Jerami Grant, Robert Williams to Unleash Yang Hansen

According to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, the Milwaukee Bucks could be lining up a deal for Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III, using undesirable contracts to get the deal done.

“Some believe the Bucks, who already have a working relationship with Portland dating back to their Damian Lillard trade, have a path to landing both Grant and Robert Williams III as impactful trade deadline additions to improve the team on both ends of the floor,” wrote Siegel.

“Between Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, and another smaller contract, Milwaukee has the cap flexibility to pull off such a trade for the two Blazers veterans."

Siegel never specified that the Blazers would be the ones landing Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma. Of course, that's just one rumor that may never see the light of day in the real world, like most rumors of that nature.

Still, there are only rumors of Portland getting rid of frontcourt depth, not adding it. Guys like Duop Reath could get an extended look, but it's Yang who'll be the biggest immediate beneficiary in the event the Blazers embrace the tank.

Yang would go from part-time bit player to potential rotational regular. Until Portland starts losing more often, if they even do, though, this conversation remains a hypothetical.