Portland, Sacramento End Up Being Biggest “Sellers”
Both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings are both very much in the play-in tournament conversation in the Western Conference this season, but it is hard to imagine that either team is regarded as a real threat right now.
Portland is just 16-24 on the season and currently the 10-seed in the West, but CJ McCollum has been out since early december with a collapsed lung and Damian Lillard is in danger of missing the rest of the season due to an abdominal injury that has been lingering ever since he participated in the Summer Olympics.
Anfernee Simons has been a bright spot for the Blazers this season, but they really do not have much going for them. The Trail Blazers have zero cap space to navigate with, no real draft assets and their future seems to be invested in Lillard and McCollum right now.
With Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington being in the final year of their respective contracts, it is very likely that the team will look to shop both veterans and sources have told NBA Analysis Network that Norman Powell could be brought up in trade talks as well.
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Powell signed a five-year, $90M deal with the Blazers this past offseason, but nobody really seems “safe” on this roster at the moment. Interim GM Joe Cronin is going to make the necessary moves to set this franchise up for future success, which is why Portland will be busy moving pieces around.
As for the Sacramento Kings, they have not made the playoffs since 2006 and they really do not have much going for them this season. De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton make up a strong looking, young backcourt for the Kings, but this team has been involved in trade rumors dating back to the 2021 NBA Draft!
Not only is Buddy Hield available for the right price, but veteran wing Harrison Barnes’ name has been brought up from time-to-time and Marvin Bagley III has had his own drama with management dating back to last season.
The Kings looked to move Bagley at the trade deadline last season without consulting him first and at the beginning of this season, they removed him from the rotation, sparking criticism from him and his agent.
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There is a chance that all three of Hield, Barnes and Bagley could be on the move at some point over the next month and they are not the only names to keep tabs on in Sacramento. Originally, the Kings stated that they would not entertain offers including Fox and/or Haliburton, but now it appears as if the Kings are making their entire roster available at the trade deadline.
For a franchise that has failed over and over again, it is not surprising to see them open for business at the deadline and there will be quite a few deals made in Sacramento this month.
