<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/nba-rumors-blazers-anfernee-simons-trade-talks-to-gain-traction-in-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ Anfernee Simons trade talks to gain traction in offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NBA-rumors-Blazers-Anfernee-Simons-trade-talks-to-gain-traction-in-offseason.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ Anfernee Simons trade talks to gain traction in offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T22:41:43-07:00">March 28th, 10:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T22:41:43-07:00">March 28th, 10:41pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers have been more competitive during the 2024-25 season than many people expected, which bodes well for their future as their young core matures. But it looks like the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/2-best-trades-blazers-must-make-2025-nba-trade-deadline">Blazers have some serious roster decisions to make</a> as they navigate the tricky jump between being an exciting young team and being a contending squad in the loaded Western Conference.</p><p>To that end, ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/how-nba-new-208-million-second-apron-impacts-trades-free-agency-siegels-scoop">believes that trade talks surrounding Blazers guard Anfernee Simons</a> will be picking up in the offseason.</p><p>“The young guard is the main trade asset to keep an eye on in Portland. There has been plenty of chatter linking Simons to the Orlando Magic since he is from Florida and attended IMG Academy, which is south of the Tampa area. Another team discussed as a potential landing spot for Simons is the Miami Heat, sources said,” Siegel wrote.</p><p>A team such as the Magic are in desperate need of an offensive infusion, and Simons would provide exactly that for them. A backcourt consisting of Simons and Jalen Suggs looks very good on paper, as Simons can take care of the team’s need for perimeter shooting and scoring while Suggs can cover up for Simons’ defensive struggles. Even Jusuf Nurkic, Simons’ former teammate, is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/why-anfernee-simons-magic-blazers-trade-could-happen">lobbying for the Magic to go and trade</a> for the 25-year-old guard.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Heat would be a more awkward fit for Simons, considering that they already have Tyler Herro in the backcourt. Herro and Simons’ games are very similar, and after Herro’s breakout season, it might be better for Miami to <a href="https://www.nba.com/heat/roster" rel="noopener">pursue another</a> 3 and D wing.</p><p>However, there could be a dark horse suitor waiting in the wings to trade for the Blazers guard.</p><h2><b>Lakers to trade for Anfernee Simons?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Blazers-Anfernee-Simons.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Lakers have more pressing needs to deal with; after trading Anthony Davis away in the Luka Doncic deal, they are very thin in the frontcourt and need a legitimate rim protector and lob threat to pair Doncic and LeBron James with. Thus, trading for Anfernee Simons doesn’t seem to be the smartest use of resources, especially when they already have Austin Reaves in the backcourt.</p><p>Nonetheless, Siegel brought up the Lakers as a potential trade destination for the Blazers guard. Crazier things have happened before in the NBA, so this is not something that cannot be ruled out even if this doesn’t make a lick of sense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers’ Anfernee Simons trade talks to gain traction in offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-deandre-ayton-becoming-odd-man-out-for-blazers');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton becoming ‘odd man out’ for Blazers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NBA-rumors-Deandre-Ayton-becoming-odd-man-out-for-Blazers.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton becoming ‘odd man out’ for Blazers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-10T10:58:59-08:00">January 10th, 10:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-10T10:58:59-08:00">January 10th, 10:58am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite their 13-24 record, the Portland Trail Blazers’ 2024-25 <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/standings" rel="noopener">tank is rolling along</a>. Ultimately, the Blazers want to win big in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, not the regular season. With some established veterans on their roster, like big man Deandre Ayton, that could throw a wrench in things. So, with the annual NBA trade deadline looming, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-top-trail-blazers-trade-targets-2024-25-season">Portland could look to move on</a> from Ayton. However, based on recent reporting from ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/siegels-scoop-why-jimmy-butler-future-doesnt-control-trade-deadline">Ayton’s days with the Trail Blazers could be numbered</a>.</p><p>Portland’s big man rotation is already cluttered between Ayton, rookie Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams III. However, according to Siegel, the Blazers are higher on Williams III than some initially thought. According to Siegel, Portland specifically targeted Williams in their trade with the Boston Celtics involving Jrue Holiday before the 2023-24 season. Because of that admiration of Williams, the Blazers aren’t actively shopping him, meaning they won’t be looking to dump him for a slew of second-round picks.</p><p>Considering Portland values Williams and Clingan as franchise cornerstones, it makes sense that the Blazers might trade Ayton. Unfortunately, according to Siegel, Ayton isn’t garnering robust interest in the trade market. With less than a month to go, the Blazers will have to figure out this situation, especially if Ayton is no longer a part of their future plans.</p><h2><b>How did the Blazers and Deandre Ayton end up here?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Deandre-Ayton-shoots-Blazers-Mavs.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ayton’s time with the Blazers has been uneven. He possesses significant talent as a big man. However, he has issues that may hinder a developing team. He often becomes a ball-stopper, taking charge of plays with his mid-range and paint scoring. Although he rebounds well, he shies away from physical contact. This reluctance leads to a low free-throw rate.</p><p>After taking him with their top pick in last year’s draft, Donovan Clingan is seen as the Blazers’ future center. This puts Deandre Ayton’s time in Portland in jeopardy. The initial plan was for Clingan to adapt to the league slowly. However, fully investing in him now could be the team’s best strategy. With Clingan’s potential, it makes sense to shift focus and pave the way for his development.</p><p>With that in mind, trading Ayton appears to be a sensible decision. However, securing a suitable deal might prove difficult. His inconsistent play has made him less desirable than other big men in the league. Furthermore, his hefty contract could deter teams from pursuing a trade. These factors complicate the situation for Ayton and the Blazers. But with it clear that Ayton isn’t part of the future in Portland, the pressure is on to move on from the former No. 1 pick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton becoming ‘odd man out’ for Blazers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-3-key-blazers-drawing-trade-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: 3 key Blazers drawing trade interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-3-key-Blazers-drawing-trade-interest.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: 3 key Blazers drawing trade interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T09:25:56-08:00">December 10th, 9:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T09:25:56-08:00">December 10th, 9:25am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers may undergo a significant roster shake-up as multiple teams express interest in three key players: Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Robert Williams III, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“Multiple teams have begun expressing interest in a group of Portland’s veterans — Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Robert Williams III — as the Trail Blazers make decisions on the roster, sources said,” Charania <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/42878390/shams-charania-nba-pass-trade-intel-jimmy-butler-brandon-ingram-golden-state-warriors" rel="noopener">reported</a>.</p><p>With the Trail Blazers sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference with an 8-16 record, the team could look to offload valuable veterans and fully commit to a rebuilding phase. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-bronny-james-rookie-treatment-lebron-anthony-davis">recent 107-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers</a> highlighted ongoing struggles for Portland, making trade discussions even more pressing.</p><h2><b>Jerami Grant a high-priced two-way scorer with veteran leadership</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jerami-Grant-9-drives-past-Los-Angeles-Lakers-forward-Anthony-Davis-3.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jerami Grant, one of the most experienced players on the Trail Blazers’ roster, signed a lucrative five-year, $160 million contract in the 2023 offseason. The deal includes a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season. This year, Grant is earning $29.7 million, making him the team’s most expensive player.</p><p>Grant is currently averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 blocks, and one steal per game while shooting 38% from the field and 35.5% from three. His production has dipped compared to last season when he averaged 21 points per game on 45.1% shooting. Grant’s availability has also been a concern, as injuries limited him to 54 games last season.</p><p>Despite these challenges, Grant remains an appealing target for teams seeking a versatile forward who can contribute on both ends of the floor. His ability to stretch the defense and defend multiple positions makes him a valuable asset, even as his contract could present a financial hurdle for potential suitors.</p><h2><b>Anfernee Simons a rising star with scoring upside</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Anfernee-Simons-1-shoots-against-Los-Angeles-Clippers-guard-Amir-Coffey-7.jpg"><figcaption>© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Anfernee Simons, now in his seventh NBA season, signed a four-year, $100 million extension in the 2022 offseason. With two years remaining on his contract, Simons is earning $25.9 million this season and $27.7 million next season.</p><p>This season, Simons is averaging 16.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range. These numbers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/trail-blazers-biggest-disappointment-early-2024-25-season">represent a decline from his breakout 2023-24 campaign</a>, during which he averaged 22.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 38.5% from deep. However, injuries have continued to impact Simons’ availability, as he played in just 46 games last season.</p><p>At just 25 years old, Simons remains a hot commodity due to his scoring potential and ability to create shots off the dribble. Teams in need of backcourt depth and offensive firepower may find his relatively team-friendly contract appealing, especially given his age and room for growth.</p><h2><b>Robert Williams III a coveted big man with durability concerns</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jalen-Williams-8-drives-to-the-basket-against-Portland-Trail-Blazers-center-Robert-Williams-III-35.jpg"><figcaption>© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-celtics-blazers-jrue-holiday-blockbuster-trade">Robert Williams III, who joined the Blazers in the Jrue Holiday trade</a> last offseason, is arguably the most sought-after of Portland’s veterans. The 7-year center signed a four-year, $54 million deal with the Boston Celtics in 2021. He is set to earn $12.4 million this season and $13.3 million next season, making him an affordable option for contenders.</p><p>Known for his defensive versatility and efficiency, Williams is averaging 9.6 points, six rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting a stellar 71.1% from the field. However, injuries have been a persistent issue throughout his career. Williams has only played seven games this season and has missed the last six <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-jerami-grant-robert-williams-iii-exit-grizzlies-game-with-concerning-injuries">due to a concussion</a>.</p><p>The center’s history of durability issues includes never playing more than 65 games in a season and being limited to 41 games total in the past two seasons. Despite these setbacks, his ability to anchor a defense and contribute in limited minutes makes him an attractive target for teams in need of a reliable rim protector.</p><h2><b>NBA Trade season approaches</b></h2><p>As the December 15 date looms, when many players become trade-eligible, speculation around the Blazers’ veterans is expected to intensify ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. Grant, Simons, and Williams each offer unique skill sets that could help contending teams address critical roster needs.</p><p>Portland faces a pivotal decision on whether to retain its veteran core or embrace a full rebuild. While the injury histories of these players may give some teams pause, their potential impact when healthy could make them high-risk, high-reward additions for playoff-bound franchises.</p><p>The central question remains: Can they stay healthy?</p><p>The Trail Blazers’ current standing in the Western Conference adds urgency to these trade discussions, as the franchise looks to chart its future path amid growing interest in its most valuable assets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: 3 key Blazers drawing trade interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-trail-blazers-trade-outlook-deandre-ayton-robert-williams-iii-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/NBA-rumors-Blazers-trade-outlook-on-Deandre-Ayton-Robert-Williams-III-gets-update.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-24T12:23:41-08:00">November 24th, 12:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-25T14:50:23-08:00">November 25th, 2:50pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers seemed to still be in the middle of rebuilding their team, but they have some good, young talent on the team that is developing well. The center position is one area where they have a lot of talent, and with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-donovan-clingan-makes-first-nba-bucket-powerful-move-warriors">rise of Donovan Clingan</a>, the other two centers – Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III – may lead to a trade.</p><p>One of the questions asked is if Ayton will be the one that the Trail Blazers would be <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-from-the-c5f?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=152086116&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">willing to trade</a> instead of Williams, according to Marc Stein.</p><p>“The natural presumption is <i>yes</i> given how well Williams has played since finally being activated, but Portland’s challenge would obviously be contractual,” Stein wrote.</p><p>“Ayton is earning $34 million this season and is owed $35.6 million next season in the final year of the contract he originally received thanks to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from Indiana that was matched by Phoenix,” Stein continued. “Williams, despite his injury history, possesses a much more trade-friendly contract with only next season’s $13.3 million owed after this season’s $12.4 million.”</p><p>Out of the three centers, Ayton may be the one that has been the most underwhelming, but due to his contract, the Trail Blazers may not have a choice but to keep him.</p><h2>Donovan Clingan making early impact with Trail Blazers</h2><p>Donovan Clingan has been a great pick for the Trail Blazers, and it’s mostly for what he’s been able to do on defense. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-donovan-clingan-portland-feat-not-seen-since-bill-walton">recently surpassed one of Bill Walton’s records</a>, recording a block in 16 straight games as a rookie. Walton once held the record for 15 straight games in the 1974-75 season.</p><p>Clingan seems to be the center of the future for the Trail Blazers, and with his early impact on the court, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got more minutes on the floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-center-very-tradable-not-deandre-ayton');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Blazers-center-who-is-very-tradable-and-its-not-Deandre-Ayton.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-08T20:15:16-07:00">September 8th, 8:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-08T20:15:16-07:00">September 8th, 8:15pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-damian-lillard-trade-blazers-suns">Trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks</a> signaled the start of the Portland Trail Blazers’ rebuild, finally deciding to go in a new direction after languishing in the playoffs with Lillard. The new-look Blazers look to develop <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scoot-henderson-blazers-no-3-pick-2023-nba-draft">Scoot Henderson, the 2023 third overall pick</a>, even after a rookie season with several growing pains. Likewise, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-2024-nba-draft-grade-donovan-clingan">drafting big man Donovan Clingan seventh overall</a> in the latest draft means the Blazers might have to trade centers, but not Deandre Ayton, per rumors.</p><p>In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst discussed trade rumors in Portland.</p><p>“Jerami Grant–he’s probably one of the guys in the league that teams will look at,” Windhorst said. “But I would also say, with Donovan Clingan getting drafted there and Deandre Ayton on the roster, I don’t think Ayton is very tradable. A guy to watch who is very tradable is ‘The Time Lord,’ one of the great nicknames in the whole NBA, Robert Williams.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>Blazers rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeAndre-Ayton-trying-a-layup-amid-two-defenders.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Windhorst then <a href="https://hoopshype.com/rumor/3149470/" rel="noopener">explained why he believes</a> the Blazers might want to send out Williams in a potential deal.</p><p>“Coming back off injury, obviously, he’s a guy who had repeated injury problems, but he makes $13 million. They may be willing to part with him, and he could go to a contender and be a significant piece if he is healthy,” the ESPN analyst added.</p><p>In the Damian Lillard trade, the Blazers acquired Jrue Holiday, who they then traded to the Celtics in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. The former Celtic big man was a defensive menace who earned a selection to the 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive Team.</p><p>During that season, Williams averaged 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He was also the team’s starting center in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, who eventually won in six games.</p><p>However, a torn ligament cut his first season with the Blazers short. The team is confident that could recover in time for the 2024-25 season, whether as an active player or a trade asset. His relatively affordable contract and defensive capabilities should entice a contender in the Western Conference minefield to trade for him.</p><p>Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds in 55 games with the Blazers, hoping to revitalize his career after the Phoenix Suns traded him to make way for Damian Lillard to arrive at the Bucks. Since January 2023, the Ayton averaged 20.2 points and 12.2 rebounds, giving fans a glimpse to the long-gestating promise he’d shown but never really delivered.</p><p>Further, accusations of a questionable motor hound the former first overall draft pick, and he will have to prove himself again especially if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/anonymous-exec-claims-dukes-cooper-flagg-could-start-in-nba-today">Blazers end up drafting Cooper Flagg</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-expected-trade-jerami-grant-anfernee-simons');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers expected to trade 1 of Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Blazers-expected-to-trade-1-of-Jerami-Grant-Anfernee-Simons.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers expected to trade 1 of Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-30T09:08:58-07:00">July 30th, 9:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-30T09:10:12-07:00">July 30th, 9:10am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After moving Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-gets-real-on-not-expecting-to-coach-a-rebuilding-team">entered a new era</a>, one that would be led by their young talents such as Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson, the third pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. As the Blazers began their rebuild, the 2023-24 season went as expected — a 21-61 record and a last-place finish in the Western Conference standings.</p><p>Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the Blazers once again seem destined to miss the playoffs, yet what their roster will ultimately look like remains a mystery due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-linked-to-jonas-valanciunas-jerami-grant">trade rumors</a> surrounding Simons and veteran forward Jerami Grant.</p><p>The Blazers’ only concern right now is finding ways to get their young core as much experience as possible. Swinging a trade involving one of these players may make the most sense to open up minutes and accumulate future assets. While recently appearing on Sactown Sports 1140 in Sacramento, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian discussed Portland’s options involving Simons and Grant, pointing out that one of the two will <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uaforS0n88" rel="noopener">likely be moved</a>.</p><p>“I would be surprised if Jerami (Grant) or Anfernee Simons, that one of the two is not moved,” Fentress said on Monday. “I was told that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp. Both being gone might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”</p><p>The main reason why the Blazers may be active on the trade market as sellers ahead of training camp is because Simons and Grant don’t appear to be their future. Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and rookie Donovan Clingan are going to be the young talents Portland moves forward with, making Simons and Grant disposable.</p><h2><b>Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant trade value</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Jerami-Grant.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Both Simons and Grant could contribute to various playoff-contending teams right away, which is why they hold some value on the open market. However, at this point in the offseason, the Blazers may have a hard time finding legitimate trade partners due to salary restraints, and many organizations are already finalizing their rosters for the start of the 2024-25 season.</p><p>Between the two players, Grant is certainly the player many teams would have interest in due to his two-way play. Over the last two seasons in Portland, Grant has averaged 20.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range.</p><p>The problem with pursuing a trade for Grant is that he is under contract through the 2027-28 season and still has over $132 million left on his contract. Very few teams in the league would have the ability to not only put together a trade package with at least $30 million in salary to equate Grant’s current deal, but many teams are struggling with remaining below the first and second tax aprons.</p><p>In Simons’ case, he has just two more years left on his contract and is owed a total that is slightly above $50 million. At 25 years old, Simons has proven that he can be a lead guard both as a scorer from the perimeter and a facilitator. Over the last two seasons, the Blazers guard has averaged 21.7 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range.</p><p>The idea of building around Henderson and Sharpe is the main reason why Portland could look to move off of Simons while he holds a fair amount of value. Still, the idea of beginning the season with both players may be more appealing to the Blazers, especially considering that a team may be willing to pay more for either Simons or Grant ahead of the trade deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers expected to trade 1 of Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-how-wizards-blazers-trade-could-impact-magics-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How Wizards-Blazers trade could impact Magic’s offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/How-Wizards-Blazers-trade-could-impact-Magics-offseason.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How Wizards-Blazers trade could impact Magic’s offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-27T10:32:54-07:00">June 27th, 10:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-27T10:32:54-07:00">June 27th, 10:32am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers kicked off the trade festivities on draft night when they struck an agreement on a deal that sent Deni Avdija to the pacific northwest in exchange for the 14th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft (Carlton Carrington), Malcolm Brogdon, 2029 first-round pick, and two second round picks. While this trade, on the surface, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-blazers-trade-malcolm-brogdon-wizards-deni-avdija">isn’t exactly too needle-moving</a> in the grand scheme of the association, this deal could have repercussions on how the Orlando Magic conduct their business this offseason.</p><p>There have been rumblings around the league, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, that the Magic are <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-draft-contending-timberwolves-swing-big-by-moving-into-lottery-landing-rob-dillingham-060335432.html" rel="noopener">going to make a move</a> for Tyus Jones in free agency now that the Wizards have Brogdon on the roster. However, Fischer noted that the Magic, even though there’s now a stronger chance that they sign Jones, should be wary of the impending contract situation of Jalen Suggs, as Suggs will be eligible for a huge rookie contract extension as he’ll be entering the fourth year of his career.</p><p>The Magic enter the 2024 NBA free agency as one of the teams that could hold the most influence due to their influx of cap space. Many think that the Magic will go all-out to add a star, or at least an upgrade on the wing. But it looks as though the point guard position is something that they’re looking to fill, what with Markelle Fultz entering free agency and Anthony Black not yet being ready to assume starting duties.</p><p>It’s unclear just how big the Magic’s appetite is when it comes to adding a point guard. They should still have Cole Anthony on the roster, while Black should become a better player in year two. Jalen Suggs did a solid enough job at the point anyway, freeing up more playmaking duties for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Is it worth adding Tyus Jones when it’s not exactly a huge point of need for the team?</p><h2>Assessing the Magic’s options in free agency</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wizards-guard-Tyus-Jones-left-talks-with-a-coach.jpg"></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-magic-pivot-offseason-strategy">Magic are one of the teams</a> that were most commonly linked to the likes of Klay Thompson and Paul George, giving them an elite shooter and a solid enough defender on the wing — giving them a major upgrade over Gary Harris. Orlando has had a clear need for an upgrade at the two, and that still remains their roster’s most pressing need.</p><p>Orlando could upgrade at the center position as well; Wendell Carter Jr. was very inconsistent throughout the 2023-24 season and Moritz Wagner profiles as more of a solid backup option. Jonathan Isaac could also play spot minutes at the five. Will the Magic prioritize this position? Perhaps not, especially with the players they still have on the roster.</p><p>Nonetheless, adding Tyus Jones is not the worst idea in the world; Jones is a wonderful offensive conductor who makes sure his teams get into their offensive sets. Jones is a deadly floater threat and he can be a catch and shoot weapon from deep as well, and with Jalen Suggs being a lockdown defender, they could certainly partner with each other in the backcourt effectively.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How Wizards-Blazers trade could impact Magic’s offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-zach-edey-grizzlies-blazers-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Zach Edey drawing strong Grizzlies, Blazers draft interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Zach-Edey-drawing-strong-Grizzlies-Blazers-draft-interest.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Zach Edey drawing strong Grizzlies, Blazers draft interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T11:46:40-07:00">June 24th, 11:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T11:46:40-07:00">June 24th, 11:46am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zach Edey is one of the most intriguing prospects in recent memory. The Purdue product has emerged as one of the best players in college basketball over the past couple of years. However, he is not expected to be a top draft pick. So what is the latest on Edey’s draft case?</p><p>Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-4-0-hawks-donovan-clingan-zaccharie-risacher">interested in the center</a>. Memphis may even be interested in moving down in the NBA Draft to add value while still potentially selecting Edey. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were also linked to him.</p><p>Edey is drawing interest, but he is expected to fall to the mid-first round or so. The Grizzlies have the No. 9 overall pick but may attempt to trade down in hopes that Edey will still be available. This would allow them to add more talent while still drafting Edey.</p><p>As mentioned, the Blazers may be open to selecting Edey if he is still available at No. 14 overall. It should be noted that the Jazz have the No. 10 pick while the Lakers have the No. 17 pick. The odds of Edey still being available after pick No. 17 in the draft are slim, but nothing is completely out of the question.</p><p>So why is Edey not a top-tier draft prospect? After all, this is a player who has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-zach-edey-draws-shaq-comparison-ahead-2024-draft">drawn comparisons to Shaquille O’Neal</a>.</p><h2><b>Questions abut Zach Edey in the NBA</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Zach-Edey-dunking-the-ball-during-Fridays-practice-before-Purdues-Final-Four-game-against-NC-State.jpeg"><figcaption>Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Edey is a terrific player. At 7’4, he is certainly an intimidating presence. There is concern about how he will fit into today’s modern NBA, though.</p><p>The game today is reliant upon long-range shooting in a lot of ways. Being able to stretch the floor as a big man is important. Edey is a half-court player who scores the majority of his points in the post.</p><p>In the end, a player like Edey is going to bully his way into some points. Perhaps his greatest assets will be his rebounding and defensive ability. His size gives him the potential to become an elite NBA rim-protector. Edey should also not have much trouble recording impressive rebound statistics on a consistent basis.</p><p>He’s going to be a valuable player in the league. The question is whether or not he can emerge as a star. And that will likely depend on if he can add enough offensive production to go along with his expected defensive and rebounding contributions.</p><p>The right fit will be especially important for Zach Edey. There are certain systems where a player like Edey can thrive, while he would struggle in others.</p><p>As mentioned earlier, Edey is an extremely intriguing prospect. It’s difficult to make any predictions for his NBA career. He could shatter expectations and become a dominant paint scorer. But there is a possibility that Edey deals with offensive frustrations throughout his career.</p><p>At the moment, Edey is only focused on preparing for the draft. Which team do you think will select Zach Edey in the 2024 NBA Draft?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Zach Edey drawing strong Grizzlies, Blazers draft interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-mavericks-linked-jerami-grant-trade-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Mavericks linked to Jerami Grant trade pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Mavericks-linked-to-Jerami-Grant-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Mavericks linked to Jerami Grant trade pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-23T13:43:51-07:00">June 23rd, 1:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-23T13:45:07-07:00">June 23rd, 1:45pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks just made a run to the NBA Finals, and now they’re already looking at how <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-luka-doncic-dallas-2025-nba-finals">they can improve</a> to not just return to the Finals but win it all this time around. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will continue to lead the way for the Mavs moving forward, but they could use a bit more help after getting overwhelmed by the Boston Celtics. Could Jerami Grant be a trade option this offseason?</p><p>SNY’s Ian Begley reports Dallas as one of <a href="https://sny.tv/articles/knicks-notes-center-on-the-radar-mitchell-robinson-isaiah-hartenstein" rel="noopener">“several teams”</a> that have “checked in on Grant’s situation in Portland.” Grant just finished up his second season with the Portland Trail Blazers and has four years left on his contract after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-jerami-grant-free-agency-5-year-160-million-contract">signing a five-year, $160 million deal</a> last summer.</p><h2><b>Jerami Grant’s situation with Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Blazers-Jerami-Grant-guarding-Mavs-Luka-Doncic.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Jerami Grant agreed to that long-term deal with the Blazers before Damian Lillard demanded a trade out of Portland. Grant put up solid numbers last season, averaging 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range. However, the 30-year-old only played in 54 games and missed the last month of the season.</p><p>The Blazers finished with a 21-61 record, the worst mark in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for them, they wound up with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, falling three spots from their initial No. 4 slot.</p><p>With Portland still in rebuilding mode, general manager Joe Cronin could look to sell Grant at a high price given how much team control is left on his contract. On the flip side, there’s no real rush to trade him because of all that time left on his contract, and the Blazers could look to get back to respectability quickly. Grant can help them do that, so it would likely take a big offer to get a deal done.</p><h2><b>What Mavericks have to offer</b></h2><p>It’s already known that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-tim-hardaway-jr-floated-as-key-mavericks-trade-asset">Mavericks will look to trade Tim Hardaway Jr.</a> this summer. Hardaway is set to make over $16 million in the final year of his contract in 2024-25, so that provides good salary for matching in a deal. Youngster Josh Green is making over $12 million next season and could be a coveted trade piece in a deal. PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford likely aren’t going anywhere after the roles they played in the NBA Finals run, unless it’s for a legitimate star upgrade, but Maxi Kleber and his $11 million salary is another trade candidate.</p><p>Dallas does have some <a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed" rel="noopener">future draft picks available</a> to trade as well, with 2025 and 2031 first-round picks available to move on the night of the 2024 draft. The Mavericks do already owe first-round picks this year, in 2027 and 2029, and their 2028 and 2030 firsts are owed as swaps. Dallas can swap firsts in 2025, 2026 and 2031. They also have four second-round picks to play with.</p><h2><b>Grant’s fit on the Mavs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kyrie-Irving.jpg"><figcaption>© Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Mavericks found a lot of success with their new-look roster after the trade deadline, with the arrivals of Washington and Gafford helping jumpstart them. Derrick Jones Jr. found a home in the starting lineup and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-dallas-re-sign-2024-nba-free-agency">is a priority in free agency</a>.</p><p>While Washington and Jones were pivotal in their starting roles in Dallas this season, Grant would be an upgrade as a two-way threat who can shoot it from deep. Grant would become even more dangerous playing off Doncic and Irving, which would also allow him to expend more energy on the defensive end.</p><p>The Mavs could look to acquire Grant and then bring either Washington or Jones off the bench, assuming they’re both back, which would help their depth. It’s unclear if the Blazers are serious at all about trading Grant, but it’s worth a look for Dallas.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Mavericks linked to Jerami Grant trade pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-bulls-blazers-interested-trading-up-uconn-donovan-clingan');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Blazers among teams interested in trading up for UConn star Donovan Clingan');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Grizzlies-Bulls-Blazers-among-teams-interested-in-trading-up-for-UConn-star-Donovan-Clingan.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Blazers among teams interested in trading up for UConn star Donovan Clingan</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-01T22:31:53-07:00">June 1st, 10:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-01T22:31:53-07:00">June 1st, 10:31pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Draft is fast approaching, and that means that it’s rumor season in the NBA. One rumor has multiple teams interested in <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/NBADraft24-40245844/2024-nba-mock-draft-predictions-all-58-picks-ncaa-early-entry-withdrawal-deadline" rel="noopener">possibly trading up</a> for star UConn center Donovan Clingan, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN:</p><p>“There’s chatter around the league that teams such as Portland, Memphis and Chicago might look to move up to draft Clingan earlier than this, but in this mock scenario, he falls right into the Trail Blazers’ lap. Clingan brings size, length, defensive prowess, nonstop intensity and passing ability along with a back-to-back national championship pedigree. He has plenty of room for growth alongside the Blazers’ core at just 20 years old.”</p><p>The Blazers and Grizzlies were also<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-draft-rumors-donovan-clingan-trade-up-interest-two-western-conference-teams"> linked to Clingan</a> earlier in the week by ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.</p><p>While the Blazers already have centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III (for now) under contract, it’s worth noting that Givony is generally familiar with Portland assistant GM and draft guru Mike Schmitz’s thinking as the two were draft experts together at ESPN and Draft Express.</p><p>If the Blazers look to move on from Time Lord, they may want to add Clingan, a center who projects somewhere between a solid backup and a potential Walker Kessler type that you can build a team defense around.</p><p>The Grizzlies, having traded Steven Adams to the Rockets after he suffered a preseason injury that was season-ending, have Jaren Jackson at center – though they generally prefer to play him at power forward next to another big body. Beyond that, rookie Trey Jemison and second year player Santi Aldama – both power forwards – are the only other true big men on the roster.</p><p>The Chicago Bulls are an interesting case, in that they have a solid offensive center who is likely on the back end of his career in Nikola Vucevic but have need for a defensive minded big man. The Bulls have an aging expensive roster and could use an influx of rookie-scale difference makers as they possibly get off of a contract or two in the near future.</p><h2><b>Blazers, Bulls, and Grizzlies have NBA Draft needs beyond Donovan Clingan</b></h2><p>While both teams could use a difference making center, it makes more sense for the Grizzlies to swing high on Clingan. Clingan, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-draft-scouting-report-donovan-clingan">has question marks of his own</a>, wouldn’t start over Ayton in Portland. It’s also likely that Blazers draft guru Mike Schmitz – known for prioritizing high-upside players in the draft – would look to another player that has a higher ceiling in the NBA Draft.</p><p>The Blazers, having drafted what they believe is their backcourt of the future in Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, have needs everywhere else. In particular, Portland needs a true 3-and-D wing and more shooting from all over the floor.</p><p>The Grizzlies, after a lost season due to injuries suffered by Adams, Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and pretty much everyone else expected to play a key role, need size and shooting.</p><p>The Bulls have the No. 11 pick in the draft next month and have many needs to address, with shooting at the top of the list.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Blazers among teams interested in trading up for UConn star Donovan Clingan

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-draft-rumors-donovan-clingan-trade-up-interest-two-western-conference-teams');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA draft rumors: Donovan Clingan drawing trade up interest from two Western Conference teams');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Donovan-Clingan-drawing-trade-up-interest-from-two-Western-Conference-teams.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA draft rumors: Donovan Clingan drawing trade up interest from two Western Conference teams</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-27T12:38:30-07:00">May 27th, 12:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-27T12:38:30-07:00">May 27th, 12:38pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>We’re now less than a month away from the 2024 NBA Draft, with the event taking place on June 26-27. That means that speculation has begun regarding key players and where they will end up.</p><p>One such player is former UConn center Donovan Clingan. Projected to be taken in the top-half of the NBA Draft lottery, Clingan reportedly could have a pair of teams <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-2-0-hawks-considering-zaccharie-risacher-over-alex-sarr">looking to trade up</a> to draft him, per Brett Siegel of Clutchpoints:</p><p>“It is hard to imagine Donovan Clingan falling past sixth overall to the Charlotte Hornets. Despite already having Mark Williams and Nick Richards, Clingan is by far the best talent on the board in this position, and should he be here at sixth overall, the Hornets will have options to play with. They could realistically take the UConn big man here and figure out their lockjam at center in the offseason, possibly moving Richards, who could be a great addition for teams around the league such as the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Memphis Grizzlies. Although, there is certainly a chance the Hornets look to trade down from this spot with Clingan on the board. The Portland Trail Blazers and Grizzlies also hold strong interest in Clingan, league sources said.”</p><p>The Blazers currently hold the seventh and 14th picks in next month’s NBA Draft and could use those picks in order to move up a spot or two in order to select Clingan. Portland has Deandre Ayton at center who, despite the national narrative, performed very well for the Blazers once the team started utilizing him properly.</p><p>Behind him in the rotation is Robert Williams III, who a.) could be on his way out in a trade, and b.) probably can’t be counted on to play after missing nearly the entire season with another knee injury. The Blazers also converted two-way center Duop Reath’s contract to a standard NBA deal. He performed admirably in his rookie season but isn’t necessarily a difference maker.</p><p>The Grizzlies, having traded Steven Adams to the Rockets after he suffered a preseason injury that was season-ending, have Jaren Jackson at center – though they generally prefer to play him at power forward next to another big body. Beyond that, rookie Trey Jemison and second year player Santi Aldama – both power forwards – are the only other true bigs on the roster.</p><h2><b>Blazers and Grizzlies have significant NBA Draft needs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blazers-Grizzlies.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While both teams could use a difference making center, it makes more sense for the Grizzlies to swing high on Clingan. Clingan, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-draft-scouting-report-donovan-clingan">has question marks of his own</a>, wouldn’t start over Ayton. It’s likely that Blazers draft guru Mike Schmitz – known for prioritizing high-upside players in the draft – would look to another player that has a higher ceiling in the NBA Draft.</p><p>The Blazers, having drafted what they believe is their backcourt of the future in Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, have needs everywhere else. In particular, Portland needs a true 3-and-D wing and more shooting from all over the floor.</p><p>The Grizzlies, after a lost season due to injuries suffered by Adams, Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and pretty much everyone else expected to play a key role, need size and shooting.</p><p>Both teams will be ones to watch during next month’s NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA draft rumors: Donovan Clingan drawing trade up interest from two Western Conference teams

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-deandre-ayton-blazers-trade-candidate-donovan-clingan');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton a Blazers trade candidate if Donovan Clingan goes No. 7');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NBA-rumors-Deandre-Ayton-a-Blazers-trade-candidate-if-Donovan-Clingan-goes-No.-7.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton a Blazers trade candidate if Donovan Clingan goes No. 7</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-13T13:04:12-07:00">May 13th, 1:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-13T14:21:39-07:00">May 13th, 2:21pm</time><address><a>Matthew Schmidt</a>Matthew Schmidt has been writing about sports since 2011 and is based in New Jersey. He primarily specializes in NFL these days, but has also extensively covered the NBA and MLB and has written for numerous websites.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Deandre Ayton and the Portland Trail Blazers are coming off of a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-most-blame-rough-2023-24-nba-season">miserable 2023-24 campaign</a> in which they won 21 games and finished last in the Western Conference. To make matters worse, they got a raw deal in the NBA Draft lottery and ended up with the seventh overall pick.</p><p>So, if UConn big man Donovan Clingan is on the board at No. 7, could the Blazers take him and ship out Ayton?</p><p>That is what Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints is suggesting, as he has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-1-0-post-lottery-hawks-face-big-decision-trae-young">Portland grabbing Clingan</a> with its top draft choice. While he doesn’t say that this would absolutely spell the end for Ayton, he notes that it could potentially make Ayton available.</p><p>The Blazers acquired Ayton from the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade last September, with Portland sending out center Jusuf Nurkic and wings Keon Johnson and Nassir Little in the deal. The Milwaukee Bucks were also involved and sent Jrue Holiday over to the Blazers, but Portland proceeded to trade Holiday to the Boston Celtics a few days later.</p><p>So, why would the Blazers replace Ayton so quickly after acquiring him?</p><h2><b>Deandre Ayton had a disappointing debut campaign with Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Deandre-Ayton.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>On paper, Ayton’s numbers from his first season in Portland look pretty solid.</p><p>He averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 82.3 percent from the free-throw line. However, he wasn’t quite as good as his statistics may indicate.</p><p>First of all, it took Ayton a while to get going for the Blazers. At the All-Star break, he was posting just 13.8 points and 10.4 boards a night over 37 games. Yes, he was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/deandre-ayton-shows-why-blazers-wanted-him-after-rocky-start">much better afterward</a>, registering 22.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game after the break, but that was only an 18-game period.</p><p>Second, Ayton had difficulty staying healthy, appearing in just 55 contests. This is nothing new for Ayton, who has played 70 games just once in his career, but this was his worst campaign in terms of availability in four years.</p><p>Ayton also did not get to the charity stripe, averaging a career-low 1.4 free throws per game. Additionally, he logged a career-worst .106 win shares per 48 minutes, and he took a fairly significant step back defensively.</p><p>Finally, it doesn’t really help Ayton’s case that his game does not translate all that well to the modern era, particularly on the offensive end. He doesn’t space the floor, he isn’t great at getting himself open on pick-and-rolls and he also isn’t much of a facilitator.</p><p>Not that Clingan is a major all-around threat offensively, but, at the very least, he would come a lot cheaper than Ayton early on. Ayton is slated to earn a tick over $34 million next season and will be earning $35.6 million in 2025-26, which is a pretty big price for a big man who doesn’t really affect the game in a variety of ways.</p><p>So, was it that Ayton was a disappointment his first season in Portland? Or is this just who he really is?</p><p>It’s a combination of both.</p><p>Ayton’s skillset is his skillset regardless of where he plays. However, there is no doubt that Ayton saw a dropoff in production from his Suns days. That may have to do with the personnel around him, or it just may simply mean he isn’t all that great.</p><p>Would any team give up anything of value for Ayton and his salary? It remains to be seen, but the idea of the Blazers moving on from Ayton is certainly feasible, especially if they end up selecting Clingan in the draft next month.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton a Blazers trade candidate if Donovan Clingan goes No. 7

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-chauncey-billups-blazers-job-under-microscope');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Chauncey Billups’ Blazers job under microscope');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Chauncey-Billups-Blazers-job-under-microscope.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Chauncey Billups’ Blazers job under microscope</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-08T17:05:08-07:00">May 8th, 5:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-08T17:05:08-07:00">May 8th, 5:05pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers officially hit the reset button before last season began when they traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Moving on from their longtime franchise cornerstone signaled the organization’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scoot-hendersons-rookie-year-blazers-starts-poorly-ends-high-note">intention to retool</a> the roster around younger players. When the Blazers hired current head coach Chauncey Billups though, the expectation was to have a winning team. That’s been far from reality though and Billups could be <a href="https://twitter.com/SIChrisMannix/status/1788291447277633779" rel="noopener">on the way out</a> as per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.</p><p>Mannix reports that should the Blazers decided to move on from Billups this offseason, that he would be high demand by other teams around the league. While there has been no official confirmation that the Blazers are considering making a coaching change, the team did recently let go two of Billups’ assistants in longtime NBA coach Scott Brooks and Billups’ brother Rodney Billups who had previous NCAA coaching experience.</p><p>Chauncey Billups is heading into the final guaranteed year of his contract with the Blazers and there has also been no indication yet of the Blazers being inclined to pick up his option for next season or to get a contract extension done.</p><p>The Blazers first hired Billups ahead of the 2021-22 season. Billups has been at the helm for three seasons now and each of those seasons the Blazers have failed to make the playoffs. Over the course of those three seasons, Billups has complied a record of 81-165. Prior to joining the Blazers, Billups was an assistant coach under Tyronn Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers for one season.</p><p>While Billups certainly has not had much success record-wise, it could be argued that the rosters he’s been given have been set up for that outcome.</p><h2><b>Blazers youth movement in full stride</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Scoot-Henderson-attacks-the-Rockets-defense.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h2><b> </b></h2><p>The Blazers have had back to back lottery picks in the NBA Draft resulting in Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, respectively. They will have another lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.</p><p>The team is in full blown rebuild mode and they have some quality young talent to help accelerate that rebuild. But aside from the aforementioned Sharpe and Henderson, the only other players on the roster that have shown without a doubt they could be apart of the future are Anfernee Simons and Toumani Camara.</p><p>The rest are fairly unknowns. Rayan Rupert and Kris Murray could conceivably be a part of the rebuild. The Blazers have found something solid in Duop Reath, albeit his age. Jabari Walker seems to fit in well. But by far the biggest disappointment of the Blazers roster was Deandre Ayton.</p><p>When the Blazers traded Damian Lillard, Ayton was one of the players the got in return as the trade ended up involving multiple teams. Ayton had shown strides with the Phoenix Suns and was viewed as one of the NBA’s top up and coming centers.</p><p>But despite his numbers, Ayton kind of regressed from the season prior with the Suns. In 55 games, he averaged 16.7 points per game, 11.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 57 percent shooting from the field and 82.3 percent shooting from the free throw line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Chauncey Billups’ Blazers job under microscope

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-deandre-ayton-blazers-future-uncertain-amid-tardiness-tantrums');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton’s Blazers future uncertain amid ‘tardiness and tantrums’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nba-rumors-deandre-aytons-blazers-future-uncertain-amid-tardiness-and-tantrums.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton’s Blazers future uncertain amid ‘tardiness and tantrums’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-09T12:59:58-08:00">February 9th, 12:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-09T12:59:58-08:00">February 9th, 12:59pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers made a minor move at the trade deadline, sending a heavily protected second round pick to the Boston Celtics for Dalano Banton, holding on to all of their rotation players.</p><p>While Blazers GM Joe Cronin made a good case for doing so on Friday, there have been <a href="https://theathletic.com/5262507/2024/02/09/trail-blazers-trade-deadline/" rel="noopener">reports of issues</a> with starting center Deandre Ayton, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic:</p><p>“But I would have liked something bold. A trade of Deandre Ayton, for starters. Although his play has spiked for the better in the past month, his first months in Portland were defined by tardiness and tantrums according to team sources. And there has been an eerie resemblance to Hassan Whiteside, the former Blazers’ center whose statistics looked nice, but had little to no impact on a game. The quicker the Blazers can move off Ayton, the sooner I will believe this franchise is headed in the right direction.”</p><p>It’s true that Ayton has been playing better of late, averaging 19 points and 7.6 rebounds in his last seven games as the Blazers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-portland-effort-more-deandre-ayton" rel="noopener">make a concerted effort</a> to get him more involved. But the center has generally been underwhelming this season since coming from the Phoenix Suns as part of the multi-team Damian Lillard trade.</p><p>Ayton has also missed 17 games so far this season due to knee tendonitis, illness, and famously missing a game due to weather because he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-injury-return-botched-concerning-weather" rel="noopener">couldn’t get to the arena</a>. Though to be fair, anyone making fun of Ayton for missing that game hasn’t been to the West Hills area of Portland during an ice storm.</p><p>On the season, Ayton is averaging 13.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for the Blazers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton’s Blazers future uncertain amid ‘tardiness and tantrums’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-76ers-interested-in-malcolm-brogdon-but-theres-a-problem');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: 76ers interested in Malcolm Brogdon, but there’s a problem');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_76ers_interested_in_Malcolm_Brogdon_but_there_s_a_problem.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: 76ers interested in Malcolm Brogdon, but there’s a problem</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-07T19:50:39-08:00">February 7th, 7:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-07T19:50:39-08:00">February 7th, 7:50pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers could be a potential Malcolm Brogdon <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-blazers-true-stance-on-jerami-grant-malcolm-brogdon-trades" rel="noopener">destination</a> ahead of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-76ers-andre-drummond-trade-interest-amid-joel-embiid-injury" rel="noopener">Thursday’s NBA trade deadline</a>. The Portland Trail Blazers guard’s name has come up in trade rumors after Philadelphia tried to <a href="https://allphly.com/nba-trade-rumors-malcolm-brogdon-sixers-bogdan-bogdanovic/" rel="noopener">kick the tires on a potential swap</a> with the Blazers to acquire the former NBA Rookie of the Year winner, per Kyle Neubeck of AllPhlly.com.</p><p>“Add another name to the Philadelphia rumor mill — the Sixers made inquiries about Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon, sources told PHLY, in the hope of adding the versatile veteran guard to their rotation. As of now, however, Brogdon appears to be staying in Portland, with the Blazers content to hold onto Brogdon unless they are bowled over with an offer.”</p><p>Brogdon would be quite an addition to the 76ers if such a trade pushed through. On the season, the former Virginia Cavaliers star is averaging 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, while shooting 41.2 percent from behind the arc. However, the 76ers will need to further impress the Blazers if the latter are to cough up the 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner via a trade.</p><p>Brogdon has one more year left on his current deal which is set to expire by the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. Before he arrived in Portland, he played for the Boston Celtics for just a season. While his stint with the Celtics was short, Brogdon was a tremendous impact player off the bench for Boston. In Portland, Brodgon has gone back to playing as a starter, though, he’s still used at times off the bench by the Blazers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: 76ers interested in Malcolm Brogdon, but there’s a problem

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-true-stance-on-jerami-grant-malcolm-brogdon-trades');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ true stance on Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon trades');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nba-rumors-blazers-true-stance-on-jerami-grant-malcom-brogdon-trades.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ true stance on Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon trades</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-06T17:26:37-08:00">February 6th, 5:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-06T17:37:01-08:00">February 6th, 5:37pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers are weighing their options heading down the stretch of the 2024 NBA trade deadline and two key names have been discussed.</p><p>The Blazers’ roster is getting a little bit thin lately with Shaedon Sharpe <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-portland-guard-shaedon-sharpe-undergo-surgery" rel="noopener">scheduled to undergo surgery</a>. Another recent rumor mill update stated that volume scoring guard Malcolm <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-malcolm-brogdon-prefers-remain-blazers-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">Brogdon prefers to remain</a> with Coach Chauncey Billups’ team.</p><p>Now that the trade deadline is just two days away, the rumor mill is running wild with possibilities for Portland’s potential upcoming moves.</p><h2><b>Grant, Brogdon Trade Deadline Rumors </b></h2><p>Last season’s deadline day saw a flurry of activity as noted by Keith Smith on Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Related to it feeling like a slow NBA trade deadline week, here's what happened last year:</p><p>-1 trade on Monday (Kyrie trade)<br>-2 trades on Tuesday (two small deals)<br>-0 trades on Wednesday<br>-12 trades on Thursday (deadline day)</p><p>The KD trade news broke overnight on Wednesday into…</p><p>— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1754954348751204787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>On the Blazers front, an update from NBA Reporter Jake Fischer stated that Jerami Grant appears to be “off the trade block.”</p><p>“Portland continues to indicate the Blazers are more interested in keeping Grant and guard Malcolm Brogdon,” Fischer reported according to ‘sources.’</p><p>Fischer added the caveat that <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/andrew-wiggins-appears-to-be-warriors-biggest-trade-chip-but-a-deal-remains-a-challenge-225816934.html" rel="noopener">this stance is conditional</a> on the Blazers only receiving an offer consisting of a “veteran that doesn’t blow them away” in return.</p><h2><b>Blazers’ Big Test in Twin Cities </b></h2><p>Coach Billups, Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson and the Blazers were scheduled to take on Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Tuesday night at 10 p.m., a chance for the team’s young guns to face off with one of the league’s rising contenders.</p><p>Simons has been on a tear lately scoring the basketball but the Blazers have just 15 wins on the season compared to 35 for the T’Wolves.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers’ true stance on Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon trades

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-malcolm-brogdon-prefers-remain-blazers-trade-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Malcolm Brogdon prefers to remain with Blazers at trade deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_Malcolm_Brogdon_prefers_to_remain_with_Blazers_at_trade_deadline.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Malcolm Brogdon prefers to remain with Blazers at trade deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-05T17:39:24-08:00">February 5th, 5:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-05T17:39:24-08:00">February 5th, 5:39pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA trade deadline is less than 72 hours away, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-lakers-knicks-malcolm-brogdon-trade-suitors" rel="noopener">multiple teams</a>, including the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets, have been linked to Portland Trail Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon.</p><p>But Brogdon, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, has reportedly been <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/mondays-latest-from-nba-trade-season?utm_campaign=email-post&amp;r=39f60&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">lobbying to stay</a> with the Blazers, according to NBA insider Marc Stein:</p><p>“Malcolm Brogdon has been openly lobbying the Trail Blazers to keep him beyond Thursday’s trade deadline.</p><p>Long considered one of this season’s Most Likely To Be Traded players after landing in Portland before the season started when Boston acquired Jrue Holiday from the Blazers, Brogdon recently told <i>The Athletic</i>‘s Jason Quick that he was rooting against a deal.</p><p>“I’m happy here,” Brogdon told Quick. “I’m valued here. … And I can’t complain with that. I’m happy in Portland.’’</p><p>There have been some recent rumblings that Brogdon, with one season left on his current contract after this one at $22.5 million, has been hopeful that the Blazers would entertain contract extension talks. Portland’s willingness to go that far is rather hard to picture given the understandable focus on its array of young guards — most notably Anfernee Simons and rookie Scoot Henderson — but the prospect of a longer stay than anticipated in the Pacific Northwest for the 31-year-old has gained credence.”</p><p>There is a case to be made that having Brogdon on the Blazers through at least the rest of this season would be beneficial for Henderson. Brogdon has done well in a mentorship role with the no. 3 overall pick. But given Brogdon’s relative health this season, the fact that he has another year left on his contract, and the glut of young guards deserving minutes, Portland will have to take a long <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/players-blazers-must-move-2024-nba-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">look at any incoming offers</a> involving a first-round pick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Malcolm Brogdon prefers to remain with Blazers at trade deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-lakers-knicks-malcolm-brogdon-trade-suitors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets join Lakers, Knicks as Malcolm Brogdon trade suitors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Rockets_join_Lakers_Knicks_as_Malcolm_Brogdon_trade_suitors.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets join Lakers, Knicks as Malcolm Brogdon trade suitors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-26T10:44:20-08:00">January 26th, 10:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-26T10:44:20-08:00">January 26th, 10:44am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing. Go Titans, go Ducks, and go Kraken!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trade rumors involving Malcolm Brogdon are ramping up with the deadline right around the corner. The Portland Trail Blazers aren’t really in contention for the postseason and it makes sense for the front office to acquire as many draft picks as possible. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have been in the rumor mill for a minute. However, it sounds like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-losing-play-in-chances-embarrassing-blazers-defeat" rel="noopener">the Houston Rockets could be</a> in play as well.</p><p>Houston could be in the mix for Brogdon considering the coaching staff <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/how-the-terry-rozier-trade-has-reset-the-point-guard-market-163709399.html" rel="noopener">has a plethora</a> of former Boston Celtics coaches, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. The Rockets could make a move before the trade deadline and Malcolm Brogdon is now a name to watch for. The organization is also rumored to be interested in the Trail Blazers’ injured center, Robert Williams.</p><p>“In addition to the Knicks and Lakers, league personnel believe Brogdon has another team with legitimate interest in his services: Houston, which has plenty of former Boston staffers who overlapped with Brogdon during his season with the Celtics. Head coach Ime Udoka’s Rockets are also one of the teams that is considering a move for injured Portland big man Robert Williams, sources said.”</p><p>It makes sense <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-real-on-baby-jokic-nickname" rel="noopener">for the Rockets</a> to be interested in Brogdon. Not only is he familiar with the coaching staff, but Houston is in the mix for the play-in tournament as well. They’re right behind the Utah Jazz for the 10 spot and Malcolm Brogdon would improve Houston’s backcourt for a potential playoff push.</p><p>It’s not clear exactly what Brogdon is valued at in a trade. But it would be wise of the Trail Blazers to find a trade partner soon. The NBA trade deadline is on February 8, so Portland still has some time to weigh their options. As for the Rockets, they seem eager to make a playoff appearance this season despite how volatile it’s been for this franchise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets join Lakers, Knicks as Malcolm Brogdon trade suitors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-robert-williams-iii-drawing-trade-attention-amid-season-ending-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ Robert Williams III drawing trade attention amid season-ending injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Blazers__Robert_Williams_III_drawing_trade_attention_amid_season-ending_injury.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ Robert Williams III drawing trade attention amid season-ending injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-23T12:51:51-08:00">January 23rd, 12:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-23T12:51:51-08:00">January 23rd, 12:51pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Boston Celtics and current Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III won’t play <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-robert-williams-iii-season-ending-knee-surgery">another game this season</a>, but that doesn’t mean he’s off the trading block ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.</p><p>The 26-year-old big man played just six games for the Blazers before injuring his right knee and undergoing season-ending surgery. The year prior, Williams was with the Boston Celtics and missed a large chunk of the 2022-23 season due to a left knee injury.</p><p>Despite all his health issues, the 6-foot-9 center is <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zhEKLJHgWrsoM35nurhJu">reportedly garnering interest</a> from other teams ahead of the February 9th trade deadline, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.</p><p>“There are some teams that are pondering making a move for Robert Williams,” Haynes revealed on his This League podcast. “I know Robert Williams is out for the season, had another surgery on his right knee, but teams feel like he would be somebody that could get on the cheap right now and allow him to continue recovering, continue rehabbing, in hopes that next season, he can blossom back into the Robert Williams that we’ve seen when he was playing at a high level with the Boston Celtics.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-celtics-blazers-jrue-holiday-blockbuster-trade">The Celtics dealt Williams</a>, two future first-round picks, and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon late in the offseason in exchange for two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday. Although Williams was a force in the paint for Boston, the C’s have greatly benefitted from the addition of Holiday. They’re currently in first place in the Eastern Conference with a league-best 34-10 record.</p><p>As for the Blazers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-anfernee-simons-scoot-henderson-injury-updates-vs-lakers">things aren’t going as smoothly</a>. Williams isn’t the only Portland player who’s missed a lot of time, as Brogdon, guard Anfernee Simons, center Deandre Ayton, and rookie Scoot Henderson have all missed at least nine games. The Blazers are a lowly 12-30 overall and in the basement of the Western Conference.</p><p>However, expectations weren’t exactly sky-high for the Blazers, especially after trading seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-damian-lillard-breaks-down-reason-monster-45-point-game-pistons">the Milwaukee Bucks</a>. Instead, Portland is hoping to build around some of its young talent and stay active at the deadline.</p><p>“The Blazers will be very open [to trade]. That’s not up for debate,” Haynes said. “If they get the right deal in place, they will be open … Robert Williams is somebody that is definitely available.”</p><p>Before his untimely injury, Williams was averaging 6.8 points, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 6.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game. Although it’s a small sample size, the Louisiana native has shown he can thrive when healthy. Perhaps that’ll be enough for another team to take a chance on Williams at the deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers’ Robert Williams III drawing trade attention amid season-ending injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-real-stance-on-jerami-grant-trade-as-deadline-nears');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ real stance on Jerami Grant trade as deadline nears');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Blazers__real_stance_on_Jerami_Grant_trade_as_deadline_nears.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ real stance on Jerami Grant trade as deadline nears</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-21T16:19:44-08:00">January 21st, 4:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-21T16:19:44-08:00">January 21st, 4:19pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers will be a team to watch out for ahead of the NBA trade deadline, as they have the looks of a deadline seller. For one, they are not going to make the NBA playoffs with their current pace, winning just 12 of their first 41 games of the season. Among the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-jerami-grant-downplays-trade-rumors" rel="noopener">Blazers players being rumored</a> to be a potential trade target by other teams is veteran forward Jerami Grant, though, it <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-from-nba-trade-season-48a" rel="noopener">doesn’t seem</a> Portland is all that interested in moving him somewhere else (h/t Marc Stein’s Substack).</p><p>“Portland has been repeatedly described by rival teams in recent weeks as resistant to the notion of trading forward Jerami Grant, who figured to be a target for some teams that missed out on Siakam.”</p><p>Grant is in his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jerami-grant-trade-suitors-wont-like-this-blazers-update" rel="noopener">second season</a> with the Blazers, who acquired him via a trade with the Detroit Pistons back in 2022. The Blazers also signed Grant to a huge five-year deal worth $160 million in 2023, with the contract coming with a player option for the 2027-28 campaign. Even with his hefty contract, there are a number of reasons why teams would like to have Grant, who is a productive asset on a bad team. On the season, Grant is averaging 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per outing, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from behind the arc.</p><p>Despite the Blazers’ apparent no-trade stance on Grant, there might be a team out there willing to cough up a great package that will force Portland into parting ways with the former Syracuse Orange star.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Portland
Trail Blazers RUMORS

PORTLAND

TRAIL BLAZERS

PortlandTrail Blazers RUMORS

PORTLAND

TRAIL BLAZERS

Portland
Trail Blazers RUMORS