The NBA is in the midst of its annual “take a breath” period, the dead time between late July and early September when franchises shutter, General Managers go on well-deserved vacations, and news calms down a little bit. That doesn’t mean the summer is over, though. There’s going to be another groundswell of opportunity soon, a possibility that is on the mind of several faithful readers of the Blazer’s Edge Mailbag. Check out this oft-repeated question:
Dear Dave,
Well I guess we’re not getting LeBron
James! I keep hearing about how other free agents and teams are waiting to see where LeBron goes before making decisions. Why aren’t we seeing those other decisions yet? Most importantly do you think [the Blazers] have another move waiting that we’ll see soon?
Val
Ha! I think LeBron outwaited all of those waiting-to-see folks! No matter who remains unsigned, those trips to Greece aren’t going to take themselves.
But seriously, I think we’ll see a trickle of signings this month, but it’s not prime trade season. The Blazers are more apt to trade for new players than sign them, so I’d bet Portland news will be slow for the next few weeks. Opportunities will open up again in September. Front offices will open up seriously again. Plus some players who got moved early in the summer will come available for deals. Overall things just loosen up when fall arrives.
The big question is whether the Blazers are still at the market. My stance on this hasn’t changed much from when we talked about it earlier in the summer. Obviously they’re always open to the right move. Their roster isn’t anywhere close to finished yet. But they do not give off the vibes of a franchise looking to make a major move. General Manager Joe Cronin always plays things close to the vest, but even for him this is quiet. A little nibble here, a little move around the edge there, no sign of any seismic shifts.
If I’m reading tea leaves, I’m saying that Ja Morant was Portland’s big deal for the summer. Now they’re through until they see how this experiment works.
Intellectually, though, I’m looking at this roster and thinking they’ve got to make a trade. My gut tells me that Jrue Holiday is the likeliest candidate, with Scoot Henderson coming right after. I don’t doubt that Vit Krejci or other players could be involved, but Jrue and Scoot seem like the likeliest centerpieces.
The sticking point is that I don’t think the Blazers are in the market for major contracts longer than two years in duration. They seem to want the option for a financial-and-personnel reset in 2028. If that’s true, it’s going to limit the candidates coming back in. I wouldn’t put it past them to turn Jrue into a couple of smaller contracts, only one of which ran beyond 2028. Draft assets are also a possibility, but I don’t see a strong market for either Holiday or Henderson when it comes to draft-related swaps.
At this point I think I’m trusting my gut more than my eyes. If circumstances were normal, there would definitely be another trade on the horizon before February, probably before October. The circumstances are weird, but not weird enough to override that instinct for me. I’m betting that yes, we’re going to see another deal come down the pike.
What do you say, though? Do you think they Blazers will trade anyone else this summer? Tell us your reasoning in the comments below. And if you want to send in your own Mailbag question, the address is blazersub@gmail.com. We’ll try to get to as many as possible!
