The Trail Blazers Can Improve Their Roster Even Without Additional Trades

After news broke on Monday of a trade to send Memphis guard Ja Morant to Portland, the league started buzzing with subsequent follow-up trade ideas for the Trail Blazers. Now having four ball-dominant point guards under contract, many expected Portland to package some of them in another deal that could address other roster needs. Jaylen Brown speculation continued for a while but has fizzled out. We took a look at other options, including sending Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and picks to New Orleans for Trey Murphy and possibly Yves Missi and trading Jrue Holiday to Dallas for Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington.

Late Monday night, Jason Quick provided an update on potential future offseason moves. “The Blazers are still in the market to make another deal,” Quick wrote. “They want more big-man depth and realize they have a logjam of four point guards with Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, but the team does not feel it is essential to unload one of its guards. The Blazers believe the four guards can co-exist, in large part because the team believes Holiday can alleviate the redundancy by playing him off the ball as a shooting guard or small forward.”

Maybe the organization genuinely believes they can make a four point guard system work, or maybe they are simply trying to hide any sense of desperation and maintain some leverage in trade negotiations. Regardless, the Blazers can still improve the roster without making another trade.

Shams Charania reported on Tuesday morning that Robert Williams III signed a three-year $44 million extension with the Trail Blazers. As we wrote previously, Williams was a critical piece to retain because of how well his skillset complements Donovan Clingan's. According to Spotrac, Williams will carry a $13.5 million cap hit into the 2026-2027 season, which should leave the Blazers with around $20 million of room under the first apron. Williams' signing is a step in the right direction in building a contending roster in the West in the upcoming season.

The Blazers have the flexibility to secure a sharpshooting wing in free agency. Duncan Robinson fits the bill as a mid-level exception option, shooting 41% during the regular season and 45% in the playoffs for Detroit, ranking in the top 10 in three-pointers made per game. Norman Powell could be an option, but Miami is working hard to bring him back using their MLE. Luke Kennard makes sense, given that the Blazers wouldn't have to use their entire MLE. With the Robert Williams signing, however, the Blazers are on the right track even if they don't make another trade this offseason.