Mission Impossible: A well received Portland Trailblazers trade

[Tim Lehrbach]

You also save money this year, 9,336,053 to be exact if LaVine waives his trade kicker.

LaVine and Sharpe can both play some minutes at the 3. There is no problem with minutes.

RWIII and Thybulle weren't providing much if any bench defense in 2025 and the expectation should be neither are going to be valuable rotation pieces in 2026. Just because players wear a Portland Trailblazers jersey doesn't mean they provide valuable bench minutes.

You should have no problem finding a Simons trade

Lavines contract becomes an obstacle to resigning young guys.

POR passes.

Which ones?

Shaedon Sharpe is the only player who needs an extension, but he can be signed to an extension up to 25% of the cap regardless of Zach LaVine being on the roster or not.

Scoot Henderson, Donovon Clingan, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are all due new contract after Zach Lavine expires.

By my numbers, Portland would have 7 players + Sharpe under contract in 2026-2027. I am going to assume Sharpe signs for around Desmond Bane, being optimistic here, deal starting at 35 Million in 2026-2027.

That's 8 players for Portland at just under 125 Million.

LaVine 47,499,660
Sharpe 35,000,000
Avdija 13,125,000
Scoot 13,585,523
Clingan 7,519,920
Murray 5,315,004
Camara 2,406,205
Pick #11 5,000,900

Meanwhile, the salary figures for the 2026-2027 are listed below
Cap:170,112,000
Lux: 206,686,000

Portland would be sitting 35 Million below the Cap and 81 Million below the Tax. Yet you think they would have trouble retaining their players?

Portland could resign Ayton to a reasonable deal, retain a Simons return of 30-35 Million and still have plenty of cap flexibility.

Please, and I say this nicely, don't talk out of your ass.

I'm not saying your idea is good or bad -- I'd have to think about it more -- but adding to the 2026-2027 payroll does potentially inhibit the team's best opportunity to renegotiate and extend with Camara and Deni, for which the Blazers would need to preserve cap space next summer.

You might argue back that the Blazers will have other opportunities to extend those two, but it becomes far less compelling for those two to extend the longer they play on their presently undervalued contracts and the closer they get to free agency. Portland's best card to play is the ability to renegotiate their current deals.

[JRoy]

Which ones?

Shaedon Sharpe is the only player who needs an extension, but he can be signed to an extension up to 25% of the cap regardless of Zach LaVine being on the roster or not.

Scoot Henderson, Donovon Clingan, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are all due new contract after Zach Lavine expires.

By my numbers, Portland would have 7 players + Sharpe under contract in 2026-2027. I am going to assume Sharpe signs for around Desmond Bane, being optimistic here, deal starting at 35 Million in 2026-2027.

That's 8 players for Portland at just under 125 Million.

LaVine 47,499,660
Sharpe 35,000,000
Avdija 13,125,000
Scoot 13,585,523
Clingan 7,519,920
Murray 5,315,004
Camara 2,406,205
Pick #11 5,000,900

Meanwhile, the salary figures for the 2026-2027 are listed below
Cap:170,112,000
Lux: 206,686,000

Portland would be sitting 35 Million below the Cap and 81 Million below the Tax. Yet you think they would have trouble retaining their players?

Portland could resign Ayton to a reasonable deal, retain a Simons return of 30-35 Million and still have plenty of cap flexibility.

Please, and I say this nicely, don't talk out of your ass.

What would you consider a reasonable deal for Ayton? He thinks he’s a max or near max player.

Do you? What you you be happy with as a Portland fan?

Also how excited is SS going to be about sharing the dg spot with a highly paid Lavine?

Maybe it means more on-ball reps for Sharpe, which he should be ecstatic about.

I wouldn’t re-signAyton at all.

[ReggiesKnicks]

What would you consider a reasonable deal for Ayton? He thinks he’s a max or near max player.

Do you? What you you be happy with as a Portland fan?

Also how excited is SS going to be about sharing the dg spot with a highly paid Lavine?

Maybe it means more on-ball reps for Sharpe, which he should be ecstatic about.

I wouldn’t re-signAyton at all.

So what's the fuss about?

[ReggiesKnicks]

Lavines contract becomes an obstacle to resigning young guys.

POR passes.

Which ones?

Shaedon Sharpe is the only player who needs an extension, but he can be signed to an extension up to 25% of the cap regardless of Zach LaVine being on the roster or not.

Scoot Henderson, Donovon Clingan, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are all due new contract after Zach Lavine expires.

By my numbers, Portland would have 7 players + Sharpe under contract in 2026-2027. I am going to assume Sharpe signs for around Desmond Bane, being optimistic here, deal starting at 35 Million in 2026-2027.

That's 8 players for Portland at just under 125 Million.

LaVine 47,499,660
Sharpe 35,000,000
Avdija 13,125,000
Scoot 13,585,523
Clingan 7,519,920
Murray 5,315,004
Camara 2,406,205
Pick #11 5,000,900

Meanwhile, the salary figures for the 2026-2027 are listed below
Cap:170,112,000
Lux: 206,686,000

Portland would be sitting 35 Million below the Cap and 81 Million below the Tax. Yet you think they would have trouble retaining their players?

Portland could resign Ayton to a reasonable deal, retain a Simons return of 30-35 Million and still have plenty of cap flexibility.

Please, and I say this nicely, don't talk out of your ass.

I'm not saying your idea is good or bad -- I'd have to think about it more -- but adding to the 2026-2027 payroll does potentially inhibit the team's best opportunity to renegotiate and extend with Camara and Deni, for which the Blazers would need to preserve cap space next summer.

You might argue back that the Blazers will have other opportunities to extend those two, but it becomes far less compelling for those two to extend the longer they play on their presently undervalued contracts and the closer they get to free agency. Portland's best card to play is the ability to renegotiate their current deals.

These are the granular details I like to see shared. Exceptional sticking point by an exceptional poster.

[Myth]

Which ones?
.

Camara btw may get an extension that kicks in earlier. There is speculation that the team may try to lock him in early by agreeing to waive the team option year and get him extended instead. This way he gets a secure contract to protect him in case of injury and Blazers can have him locked into a longer contract now.

[Scoot McGroot]

It seems Portland haven’t been able to find a trade they like for Simons for a while. Having a glut of SGs won’t give them any additional leverage in finding one, so I’d want it lined up simultaneously. Blazers also really don’t need poor defensive SGs masquerading as SFs again. That is the absolute opposite direction of the lengthy defense oriented team the Blazers have been seemingly building towards. I just really don’t like this fit. And no, I don’t think Thybulle or RWIII are legit value, but I definitely prefer the bench defense of Grant and occasional minutes from Thy and Rob than losing them and adding Zach with the option of simply playing them out of position because they technically can. As for next season’s salary, I did miscalculate, but why does Zach waive his trade kicker to on a team with so many at his position? How much is his trade kicker if he doesn’t waive it?

LaVine's kicker is 15% but also he just accepted a raise 4 months ago with the trade kicker. I don't think he would need to do it again.

He doesn’t need to do it again if he is going somewhere he actually wants to go, but why would that be Portland? He would know Portland is not bringing him in to be part of their future and wants somebody at his position to be instead?

Trade kickers are only actionable once, not the entirety of a contract, and cannot be deferred for a future trade. It triggered once, so now it’s done.

[Myth]

LaVine's kicker is 15% but also he just accepted a raise 4 months ago with the trade kicker. I don't think he would need to do it again.

He doesn’t need to do it again if he is going somewhere he actually wants to go, but why would that be Portland? He would know Portland is not bringing him in to be part of their future and wants somebody at his position to be instead?

Trade kickers are only actionable once, not the entirety of a contract, and cannot be deferred for a future trade. It triggered once, so now it’s done.

Good to know.

[Scoot McGroot]

He doesn’t need to do it again if he is going somewhere he actually wants to go, but why would that be Portland? He would know Portland is not bringing him in to be part of their future and wants somebody at his position to be instead?

Trade kickers are only actionable once, not the entirety of a contract, and cannot be deferred for a future trade. It triggered once, so now it’s done.

Good to know.

Yup.

It’s different from a no trade clause in that regard. NTC’s are actionable the life of a contract, while the trade kickers are a one time only use it or lose it type thing.

[DaVoiceMaster]

Still don't want or need LaVine in Portland. There was interesting in Grant the first few months of the season last year. Then he got disgruntled because the team was not good. He needs to get back to form to start the season and find that interest again from other teams, the the Blazers trade him by the trade deadline for a shorter contract.

[Diop]

is Patrick Williams that bad a contract he needs a 1st round pick attached to move him?
I dont see Chicago doing that, but if so, Charlotte would be interested for the 1st.

[Scoot McGroot]

is Patrick Williams that bad a contract he needs a 1st round pick attached to move him?
I dont see Chicago doing that, but if so, Charlotte would be interested for the 1st.

He had a pretty terrible year this year with his defense and shooting both dropping off tremendously. And with Williams still having 4 more guaranteed years at over MLE money, he’s definitely a reclamation/rebuilding project.

[Jojothewhale]

If the Sixers just wanted to get off of the contract, it makes sense. It doesn’t feel like that’s where they are to me until/unless PG asks for a trade, but no one knows. They could take almost any road right now except packaging PG with 3 and I would believe it.

On a personal level, I really don’t want to watch Patrick Williams play basketball for 4 years. Haven’t Sixers fans been put through enough? Or does the weirdness that surrounds this franchise work in reverse and he blossoms here? Do the spectral remains of Fultz’s shoulder imbue him with the magic?

[nate33]

I don't see it for Philly. Yes, Paul George is wildly overpaid and there are injury issues, so I could see them trying to unload him, but not for a package that costs them even more money. They'd rather keep him and hope for a bounce-back season. There might still be a small chance that he has one more All-Star caliber season in him.

[Wizenheimer]

lol...ok....thread title says Mission Impossible: well received Portland trade

so then, 8 different Blazers fans have spoken and all 8 don't like the trade.

* possible reason A: All Blazer fans are just unreasonable

* possible reason B: could be that Blazer fans have a better handle on what Portland needs and can see what would make things worse

I'm voting B (I first set the choice up as #1 and #2, But I changed that because I didn't want to be voting for number 2)