The Portland Trail Blazers have turned what could have been a disastrous season into a successful one, even though the NBA is only halfway through its season. With the Trail Blazers playing some of their best basketball of the season and a legitimate chance to end their four-year playoff drought, the Blazers’ front office faces difficult roster decisions. Will the Blazers be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
Trail Blazers Have Upcoming Roster Decisions To Make As Trade Deadline Looms
Despite having their head coach, Chauncey Billups, replaced after the NBA’s opening night and dealing with several injuries, Portland sits ninth in the Western Conference with a 22-22 record. The Trail Blazers have won three straight and are 14-10 since December 1, which is the 10th-best in the league during this stretch.
While Portland has taken advantage of its schedule, going 9-4 with a +2.3 scoring margin at The Rose Garden during this stretch, the Blazers have beaten good teams. The Blazers are 7-7 during this stretch over this past month-and-a-half against teams with a .500+ record. They have victories over the Lakers, Rockets (2), Spurs, Warriors, and the Cavaliers.
“It feels like we’re starting to be the team that everyone thought we were going to be at the beginning of the year,” center Donovan Clingan told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian on Saturday. “Hopefully, once we get everyone healthy, we’re going to make a big jump, and we’re going to start winning a lot of games. This is just the start of it, and it feels really good.”
Deni Avdija has continued to lead the way over this 24-game stretch with 26.5 points, 8.0 assists, and 7.1 rebounds. Meanwhile, Shannon Sharpe, Clingan, Caleb Love, and Sidy Cissoko have stepped up their production.
Portland is currently dealing with several injuries. However, Jerami Grant, Jrue Holiday,y and Robert Williams III are day-to-day. Kris Murray, who has missed seven consecutive gameswith a back injury, should return soon. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard is out for the season, while Scoot Henderson, Matisse Thybulle, and Blake Wesley have no set timetable to return.
Trail Blazers Trade Candidates
Williams, Thybulle, and Wesley are on expiring contracts. Holiday and Grant are also trade candidates.
According to ESPN, Grant is the Blazers’ most valuable trade chip.
“After a lost 2024-25 campaign in which he played just 47 games, Grant has performed well enough this season (20.0 PPG on 38.9% 3-point shooting) that teams could be willing to take on the two years and $70 million remaining on his contract,” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton said. “The question instead is whether Portland would be willing to move Grant for cap flexibility and/or draft picks.”
“The Blazers are comfortably in the play-in mix, and Grant’s shooting is an important part of the rotation,” Pelton continued. “At the same time, creating cap space this offseason would give Portland the ability to save up for renegotiating Deni Avdija’s contract simultaneously with a long-term extension. Given Avdija’s importance and that a conventional extension is unrealistic, that’s worth exploring.”
Portland has a full 18-man roster and is $1.5 million below the tax line. The Blazers are also $7.9 million from being hard-capped at the first apron.
What Will The Trail Blazers Do With Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko
Love and Cissoko have benefited mightily from all the Trail Blazers’ injuries. Both players are projected to reach their 50-game limit imposed by the NBA on players on two-way deals. So, the Blazers brass have a decision to make.
Love has played in 36 games, meaning he would lose NBA eligibility two games after the NBA All-Star break. Love has improved throughout the season and has been playing his best basketball over the last two months. The 24-year-old has scored in double-figures in 19 of his 36 appearances, topping the 20-point plateau on six occassions. He averages 11.1 points with shooting splits of 39.1/32.9/74.4.
Love is a high-volume scorer and three-point shooter who needs to improve efficiency. Love does not create or move well without the ball. While not a great defender, he has given consistent effort.
Cissoko is having the best season of his three-year career. Cissoko has not been very efficient and doesn’t provide much, if he is not going offensively. He has appeared in 39 games, and his 50 games are up before the All-Star break.
Cissoko, the No. 44 pick in 2023, is a toolsy player whose production has yet to match his potential. However, the 21-year-old wing isn’t a self-creator and is a subpar shooter. He struggles defensively, with fouling being a major issue.
Neither Love nor Cissoko is guaranteed to get a two-way deal. Love is probably the more likely player to earn a deal if he continues to show improvement. Before the Blazers decide to ink either Love or Cissoko to a standard contract, they will have to make a roster move. If the Blazers don’t make a trade, they would have to waive a player. Wesley figures to be the player most likely to be released in that situation.
If Love or Cissoko gets promoted
While it seems unlikely, at this point, that both Love and Cissoko will be promoted, the Trail Blazers will have an open minor league spot if one of the pair does get promoted.
Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report believes that Blake Hinton has earned a two-way deal. Hinton is currently playing for the Blazers’ G-League affiliate Rip City Remix. The 24-year-old forward, who went undrafted in 2024, averages 23.4 points and 4.7 rebounds with shooting splits of 48.1/37.3/70.9. He has scored 20+ points on 12 occassions, topping the 30-point mark on seven occassions.
“Whenever the Blazers convert Love and Sidy Cissoko to real NBA contracts (as I wrote about earlier this week), they should definitely sign Blake Hinson from the Remix to backfill one of the two-way spots,” Highskin wrote. “He’s been their best player in every game I’ve gone to, and the Blazers could use the shooting.”
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