The Portland Trail Blazers were expected to be one of the teams that was going to be fairly active during the trade deadline. They have multiple players that other teams coveted.
Jerami Grant was one of the big names floating around the rumor mill. He was expected to have a lot of suitors because of his ability to score and his length on defense.
Robert Williams III was also a hot name around the deadline. Despite his chronic injury problems, multiple teams were linked to him prior to the deadline.
Neither player ended up being traded before the deadline. Not only that, but the Trail Blazers did not make a single move.
Read more: Blazers Go Silent at Trade Deadline, Was This Correct Move?
Portland was one of the few teams that did not do anything at the trade deadline. Even though they sit just 13th in the Western Conference standings, they kept their roster together.
Should they have parted ways with Grant and Williams? Would they have been better off getting assets in return for those players instead of running it back next year?
The answer is yes. The Blazers made a mistake in keeping both of these players. At least one of those guys should have been headed to another team.
Grant is the player who made the most sense to trade. He could have fetched a first-round pick, even though he hasn't been playing his best basketball this season.
He also doesn't fit the timeline of the rest of the players on the roster. Grant is one of the oldest players on the roster.
The Blazers obviously didn't think they were going to get the value they thought they were going to get for either of these players. Perhaps teams weren't as interested in Grant as they thought.
Williams III is someone that the Trail Blazers wasn't actively shopping. They were taking some calls, but they had to be blown away with an offer in order to send him elsewhere. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
So far this season, Grant is averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Williams III is averaging 5.7 points, six rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
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