Portland Trail Blazers Rumors: Update on a potential Hassan Whiteside trade, a deal for Kevin Love is unlikely and more

#3 Injuries could leave the Blazers 'stuck' until the summer

Jusuf Nurkic has been sidelined for almost a year

While the Trail Blazers are believed to be open to trading Hassan Whiteside, Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Portland's trade plans over the next week will be heavily impacted by the status of injured stars such as Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins:

Portland is kind of stuck. It’s fighting for the playoffs but has so many injuries, it’s hard to predict where this season will go. The Trail Blazers will most likely stand pat at the deadline and do their work over the summer.

Nurkic recently returned to practice, although the big has been ruled out until at least the All-Star break. Meanwhile, Collins' recovery from a dislocated shoulder remains on track, although he won't return until March at the earliest. Due to this, any plans to move a player such as Whiteside could depend on Portland's ability to get a center back in the trade - and as Smith's report points out - the Blazers may opt to wait until the summer.