PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers and general manager ‘Trader Joe’ Cronin were at it again, flipping recently acquired Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics in exchange for center Robert Williams III, veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, and a pair of first round picks.
Holiday was acquired along with Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, two pick swaps, and a first round pick in a three way deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, with Portland also sending Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson to Phoenix.
Now, the Blazers are reportedly taking calls on Brogdon, 30, who won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Celtics after averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 44.4% on three pointers.
Locked on Blazers host Mike Richman discussed Portland’s plan with Williams and Brodgon, including a potential flip, on the latest episode of the show.
“The Blazers plan to hang on to Robert Williams but they do plan to shop the veteran Brogdon,” Richman said. “Both Williams and Brogdon have this year and next year fully guaranteed on their deal so it’s not like they are expiring contracts.”
Brogdon’s injury history and current elbow issues could cause Portland to hold Brogdon until the trade deadline if they think it could net them a bigger return, but if teams are willing to offer a late first round pick, or even multiple seconds and an expiring contract, it could lead to Cronin making another deal before the start of the NBA season.
Here are five teams that could be interested in Brogdon’s services and what a return could look like for the Blazers:
1. Miami Heat
The team that looked like a near lock to land Lillard for most of the summer is now scrambling while their competitors in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks and Celtics, took two key guards off the market.
Whether Joe Cronin and Pat Riley are willing to work together, or even have each others contact information, is unknown at this time, but a deal where Brogdon goes to Miami and Kyle Lowry comes back to Portland, along with pick compensation, could work for both sides.
Portland would likely buy out Lowry and free up cap space, although they’d probably need a first from Miami since the Heat are lacking in second round picks.
2. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors were in the mix for Lillard and could still look to add a veteran guard to their roster, and salary matching with Brogdon could be easier for both sides to get something done.
The Raptors have up to five second round picks they could send to Portland, and/or some combination of Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young, Otto Porter, and Malachi Flynn could work, and younger players like Precious Achiuwa and Christian Koloko could potentially be on Portland’s radar as well.
3. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers and Celtics had a deal fall through back in June because of concerns about Brogdon’s elbow injury, but successful rehab could get the Clippers back in the mix especially since they still have a need for a lead guard.
LA originally planned to deal Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey, and the 30th pick in the 2023 NBA draft (later used to select Kobe Brown) and framework around that could get a deal done. Portland could also look at young players like Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston Jr. or multiple second round picks as well.
4. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets could use a starting point guard like Brogdon to pair with Ben Simmons, and could flip Spencer Dinwiddie to Portland as an expiring contract, along with pick compensation or young players that catch the Blazers eye.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves have 36-year-old Mike Conley at point guard, and could look to get younger at the position by flipping him to Portland along with multiple second round picks in exchange for Brogdon.
Portland could then buy out Conley and save some money, which could help them with trade flexibility in the future.