While teams like the Warriors, Lakers, and Knicks are desperately trying to find a big man to shore up their rotation, it seems like the Portland Trail Blazers are the big winners. Yes, their big men on the trade block aren’t the headliners to be grabbed by the deadline. Do not let the Trail Blazers trade rumors fool you though. They would love to trade guys like Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams, and Jerami Grant. By the looks of it, their price will go up with each passing day.
The Blazers are Winning the Big Man Trade Sweepstakes
The Trail Blazers are a team going through a rebuild right now. Yes, second-year guard Scoot Henderson has not improved as much as people hoped. Right now, it seems like he might need a bit more time to reach being an above-average starter, let alone an All-Star.
But the Blazers have time. They also have Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan to build on. They can wait and be patient with their tradeable players.
Blazers Trade Rumors – Who Is on the Block?
There have been some trade rumors involving the Trail Blazers about several guys, including Grant, Williams, and Ayton. They have not intensified though. The reason for that is simple, they are not the difference-makers contenders want, or they have a higher asking price.
The good news for Portland is that there are not many better big men available on the market. At the same time, several teams need a big to shore up the rotation for the stretch run. The Knicks, Warriors, and the Lakers will become more desperate to get a big man. The Magic might get into the mix as well after losing Mo Wagner for the season. Depending on how Paolo Banchero looks coming back from injury, they might feel they are a big man away from contending.
Rumors of Grant going to the Lakers have been around for a while. Williams is a quality defensive center who would fit for the Knicks. Right now, these teams are looking at other players. As the trade deadline approaches though, and teams get more desperate, the Blazers will be in a better position.
The Lakers and Warriors Will Have to Pay a Hefty Price
As of January 13, the Warriors are out of the play-in, while the Lakers are sixth in the West. Yet, the Lakers have the same amount of victories as the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings. A bad stretch can put the Lakers in danger of missing out the playoffs.
These two teams have some of the best, yet oldest stars in the league. LeBron James just turned 40, while Steph Curry will turn 37 in March. How many good years do they have left? Will their respective teams wait any longer to bring help to compete? Well, that is the question the Blazers want to find out.
How Many Big Men Are on the Trade Block?
Some big man names mentioned in trade rumors include the Jazz’s Walker Kessler, Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl, Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic, and Wizards’ Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas has been linked to the Lakers before, and even LeBron hinted at wanting to play with him in the summer.
These four are some of the hottest names on the market. If the Lakers, Warriors, and even Knicks cannot get their hands on some of them, they will look at Portland. The Blazers have three big men who they can potentially trade, and their value increases with each game the Lakers and Warriors lose.
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