NBA Trade Rumors: How Portland Trail Blazers can bolster positioning in Cooper Flagg sweepstakes with 3 deals

Since the Portland Trail Blazers traded away franchise legend Damian Lillard before the 2023 season, the team is navigating through the beginning of their rebuild. Their roster contains young players with high ceilings, but have yet to fully commit to resetting things for the future. Like the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets, the Blazers are expected to sell players at the trade deadline.

The Portland Trail Blazers(19-29) are out of playoff contention and are near the bottom Western Conference standings. The team is squarely in the race to secure the top overall selection in the 2025 draft and the right to select Duke's Cooper Flagg. Recent top picks Scoot Henderson and Donovan Clingan have shown flashes of talent, but have lacked playing time so far this season.

The Blazers' roster is in a state of flux as the trade deadline approaches. Henderson, Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe are all 21 or younger, but are fighting for minutes with veterans Jerami Grant, DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams. Many have guessed that the Blazers are giving the veterans more playing time in the hopes of increasing their trade value before the February 6th deadline.

Grant and Ayton average more than 30 minutes per game so far this season while Clingan plays behind Williams and Ayton in the center rotation. The result is a point differential of -6.3, putting them in the bottom five of the league in that category, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Different teams have approached the Blazers about trading for their older players, but their contracts or injury issues have made things difficult. Ayton and Grant are owed $34 million and $28 million this season and are in the middle of a five and four year contract respectively, according to Spotrac. Matching their contracts would be costly for contenders, as would Williams' injury history.

How heavily will the Portland Trail Blazers be involved at the trade deadline?

The Portland Trail Blazers have been rumored to be shopping most of the players on their roster, with the exception of their younger players and the recently acquired Deni Avdija. Assuming that they move on from all three of Ayton, Grant and Williams, here are potential trade destinations for each.

Atlanta Hawks receive: C DeAndre Ayton

Portland Trail Blazers receive: C Clint Capela, F Larry Nance Jr., 2025 first round pick, 2028 first round pick, 2026 second round pick

The Hawks are in need of an injection of youth after Jalen Johnson's decision to undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder. Bringing in Ayton and moving on from Capela brings the Hawks a more versatile big, as well as a better pick-and-roll partner for Trae Young. Ayton has better numbers than Capela so far this season, averaging five more points and one more rebound.

The Portland Trail Blazers are targeting the future in their trade talks, so bringing in two first round picks in a trade helps them moving forward, even if they have to absorb the poor contracts of Capela and Nance. However, the team won't have to worry about either come this summer when both expire. This move also clears the way for Donovan Clingan to become a starter next year.

More contenders are sniffing around Robert Williams, giving the Blazers more options when trading him than the others.

OKC Thunder receive: C Robert Williams

Portland Trail Blazers receive: F Ousmane Dieng, G Nikola Topić, two 2028 second round picks

Instead of receiving future first round picks in this trade, the Portland Trail Blazers get the rights to two former first rounders, one of which(Topić) hasn't played a single minute in the NBA yet. Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons are score-first point guards who stand to benefit from a backcourt mate more inclined towards playmaking.

The Thunder are one of the top teams in the league, but have been without starting center Chet Holmgren for most of the season. As they pursue the franchise's first title in Oklahoma City, bringing in Williams gives them another big body to throw out in a playoff series.

Jerami Grant's nearly $30 million contract might be the toughest to move at his age, one contender might be willing to take a swing as they pursue a championship.

Milwaukee Bucks receive: F Jerami Grant

Portland Trail Blazers receive: F Khris Middleton, 2026 first round pick, 2028 first round pick

Bringing in two first round picks for the future is a good return for Jerami Grant, but they would need to be prepared for Middleton to accept his $34 million player option this offseason. The idea here is that the Portland Trail Blazers make the deal and try to flip Middleton at the trade deadline next season after allowing him to build value.

The Bucks, on the other hand, insert Grant into a starting lineup in desperate need of his defensive ability and 38.1% shooting from three point range. He fits well alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo as well, spacing the floor and opening up more driving lanes for the MVP hopeful.

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a place where they could have a big say in who takes home the championship this year as they try to recoup as much value as they can as their rebuild continues. Freeing up playing time for Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan is a plus, but accumulating future draft capital could accelerate the team's rebuild.