The Portland Trail Blazers decided to retool their lineup last season by trading CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington. The Blazers then signed Damian Lllard to an extension, acquired Jerami Grant in a trade, and added Gary Payton II in free agency while also giving Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons new deals.
Portland began the 2022-23 season on a roll with a 10-4 record, bolstered by some big clutch wins, but the team has slipped of late. A recent five-game losing streak dropped the Blazers to 19-22 before they snapped it with a big win over the Dallas Mavericks. The 20-22 record has Portland just outside the muddy Western Conference play-in picture, but everything is tight in the standings.
It is clear the Blazers could use more moves to help Lillard and Co. ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline. So, what do they need and what should they do?
Portland Trail Blazers trade deadline need: Another two-way forward
Even back in the early days of Lillard and McCollum in Portland, the 3 and 4 positions were weaknesses of their roster. The Blazers advanced to the Western Conference Finals one season with Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu as their starting forwards, but they had their flaws and that showed up in the series against the Golden State Warriors. Moreover, this was the organization that signed both Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe to massive deals when the salary cap increased immensely in 2016.
This team is known to miss out on complementary forwards to their star backcourt. Carmelo Anthony and Robert Covington are two of the best forwards they have had in recent years, but these guys only really flourished on one end of the floor in their stint with the Blazers. The Blazers’ front office knew they needed an upgrade, so they acquired Jerami Grant in the offseason.
It did not take all that much to convince the Detroit Pistons to pull the trigger on the Grant trade because they are in rebuilding mode and were looking to clear his salary as they knew he would not re-sign. Grant has been excellent for Portland and is eligible for a contract extension, but it is unclear just what is going to happen with him. He seems to like it with the Blazers and they would surely like to keep him given his production, but nothing is set in stone until pen is put to paper on a new deal. Flipping him seems unlikely.
Even if Grant does stick around, Portland could still use more at forward. A plethora of pundits are excited with rookie high-flyer Shaedon Sharpe, but he is more of a guard. Thus, they must focus their eyes on adding someone with the arsenal of John Collins or PJ Washington. Other names like OG Anunoby, Jae Crowder, or Marcus Morris come to mind as well because of their tough and rugged play on the defensive end of the floor. Portland’s defense ranks just 22nd in the league this season, per NBA.com, so it’s clear some defensive upgrades would be welcome. Payton finally making his season debut recently was great to see, but more help is needed.
Thus, the Blazers organization must invest in one or two forwards by the trade deadline who will complement Damian Lillard and the other members of his roster. Portland is desperate to compete with Lillard, so something must be done to improve in a wide-open West.
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