Being just the third trade of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Blazers acquisition of guard Vit Krejci for Duop Reath and a pair of second round picks has activated the Internet-wide opinion machine.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave the Blazers an ‘A-’ for the trade, while giving the Hawks a ‘B’:
Although Portland is hoping to get perimeter players back soon, shooting was also a need at full strength. The Blazers are third in 3-point attempts per game but dead last in accuracy beyond the arc. Krejci, who’s hit
42% beyond the arc this season and throughout his time in Atlanta, should help there while fitting into Portland’s aggressive defense.
Better yet, Krejci is on a team-friendly contract that pays him the minimum through 2027-28 with no guaranteed money beyond this season. That could be particularly important if the Blazers shed some salary before the deadline with an eye toward using cap space to renegotiate Avdija’s contract in conjunction with a long-term extension.
CBS’s Sam Quinn had this to say about the trade:
Not sure why Atlanta would give up Vit when he has two ultra cheap years left on his contract and they already had shooting issues. Win for Portland.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger (subscription required) called the trade “A smart move by Portland” and laid out the logic from Atlanta’s perspective:
I’m a big fan of the move Portland made today, and despite being president of the Atlanta chapter of the Vít Krejčí Fan Club, I get it for Atlanta too.
Trading two seconds for Krejčí makes sense for Portland because he fills a glaring need and has a great contract. He’s signed for the minimum for two seasons after this one, with 2026-27 non-guaranteed and 2027-28 a team option. The Blazers desperately need both rotation-ish caliber wings and shooting. Krejčí can provide both…
…[The Atlanta Hawks] Cashing out on Krejčí may make more sense pending other moves this week. Notably, Reath now gives the Hawks three dead roster spots out of 14. Both he and N’Faly Dante are out for the season, while Nikola Đurišić has been healthy the entire season but not been on the active roster once while he flails for the Hawks’ G League team… The Hawks may not be done here, either. Even if Atlanta sits out the trade deadline, it is likely to be active in the buyout market to address the back end of the roster.
Nicholas Kula of Rip City Project gave the trade an ‘A’:
Getting right to the point, Krejčí is a capable and long guard who can shoot extremely well and is a plus defender at four positions, with most of his time spent at point guard. Perhaps most importantly, he has a reliable and frequent long ball, with 5.2 of his 6.7 shots per game from beyond the arc. He converts them at 42.3% this season, a welcome change from the team-wide 33.6% the Blazers are shooting this year, dead last in the league.
Though Krejčí is primarily a bench piece, he’s answered the call when asked, with four games of scoring 20 or more. In those games, he’s shot a blistering 71% from 3 on a staggering 38 attempts. That kind of firepower will prove invaluable as the Blazers seek to climb the ladder of the West.
Rohan Roman of the Atlanta Hawks’ subsite of Sports Illustrated didn’t like it as much for our friends in Georgia, giving the trade a ‘C’:
It’s also surprising that Reath is the backup big Atlanta got in exchange for Krejci. First of all, he’s out for the entire season due to a stress fracture. That likely means the Hawks just wanted the draft picks and will waive Reath to pick up an extra roster spot. Their interest in him as a possible future piece doesn’t feel likely. His contract expires after this season, he’s 29 years old, and while he has good size (6’11), he doesn’t do anything at a notably better level than Christian Koloko or N’Faly Dante.
It’s not an inherently bad deal for the Hawks, but it is admittedly a bit disappointing that they couldn’t get anything of real value for a wing who’s making threes and legitimately been critical to some of Atlanta’s wins this season. The extra draft picks are nice – it’s time to do something with them.
Users on the Atlanta Hawks subreddit had mixed reactions:
“WHAT. It’s a good contract and Reath is out for the season wtf ”- juicy_burger17
“Trading his makes a lot of sense but I feel like we should’ve gotten a lot more for him.” – Maximum-Lack8642
“Adding picks and clearing up the guard rotation. Not bad” – kpeezy478
The Blazers’ subreddit was more enthusiastic:
“Personally I think it’s a great move. Duop is buried on the depth chart and our 3pt shooting gets an upgrade” – silvers11
“Huge fan of this trade. Krejci is an insanely good shooter, solid enough defender, and has some great connective passing skills.” – Piano9717
Finally, our own Dave Deckard had this to say about the trade:
This was a small-but-satisfying move when measured against the entire scope of NBA trades, rising up the scale when Portland’s tailored needs are considered. Reath wasn’t going to do much more for the Blazers than he already had. His tenure with the team may have been coming to a close regardless. Portland can use Krejci’s shooting. A little more guard depth doesn’t hurt them. A couple of second-rounders were a small premium to pay for two extra years on an ultra-cheap contract for a bench player with a willing spirit, plenty of effort, and at least one bankable skill.
Blazers fans are going to like Krejci. Chances are Krejci will like the green-light nature, use of space, and general unselfishness of Portland’s offense as well. This move probably won’t transform the team, but it’s a good match and a good deal.
