Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are in an interesting spot. They have been playing really good basketball as of late but they still aren’t considered a legit threat in the western conference.
Could the addition of a couple of role players make them one? It’s hard to say but they at least are considering it though as with the other teams it is uncertain which player they are targetting.
Some feel their focus would be Temple if they had to guess between the two and well that may be true they definitely could use Green on their roster as well.
Exact wording by Deveney is that Portland and Charlotte have expressed interest in one or both players. If Portland showed interest in just one of those two players, my guess is it would be Temple.
— Jared Cowley (@jaredcowley) January 25, 2019
The Blazers have struggled to find a consistent backup big behind Jusuf Nurkic and while they may prefer a traditional veteran center they could target Green as someone who could also play alongside him and the other starters.
His ability to stretch the floor and defend at a high level is something they could really use. Jake Layman and Zach Collins have had moments where they play very well but they could acquire Green to have just for the rest of this season since he is a free agent.
If they do value Temple more than they could easily make a deal for him. While it is clear multiple teams are interested in him it would be surprising if any of them would be willing to offer a first-rounder straight up.
The Blazers do have some bad contracts that they may be willing to attach a first-rounder to but at the moment that seems unlikely. That could change but at the moment don’t expect them to do so.
They do have plenty of young players they could send back to Memphis if they would rather keep their second-round pick.
Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr., and Caleb Swanigan all could be considered. Any deal would be difficult for Portland to make happen because of their salaries but if they really want to make something happen they will find a way.
If Portland does choose to send someone like Al Farouq-Aminu or Maurice Harkless to Memphis they could ask for Omri Casspi back to help fill that void.
This deal may not seem very favorable for Memphis but I don’t expect either of these two players to generate a lot of interest even though teams are already interested in Temple.
They’re both free agents after this season and if they don’t take a deal like this it’s very possible they could lose them for nothing this summer.