The Portland Trailblazers are in serious need of a power forward in order to become more competitive in the West, and Thaddeus Young may be the most logical solution.
The rumor around the league is that Portland’s Hassan Whiteside could be on the trade block this week, and if the Blazers could use him to acquire a formidable four, they should be all over it. With Jusuf Nurkic back practicing, moving on from Whiteside is a very likely scenario. Although he does hold value for a contending team, his contract is so large that it will be simply too difficult to make salaries match.
Thus, Chicago may be one of Portland’s only options to move Whiteside to in exchange for a power forward. Thaddeus Young is one of the better power forwards on the market, has a team-friendly contract, and is not on an expiring deal. Portland could benefit greatly from adding Young to their starting lineup and pay nearly a third of what Kevin Love would cost.
Kris Dunn would be another nice addition for Portland, who is in desperate need of a backup point guard. Dunn’s defensive abilities would come in handy down the stretch, as perimeter defense is another need that the Blazers must address if they want to be competitive in the playoffs. With Dunn’s contract set to expire this Summer, Portland could decide whether or not they wish to re-sign him in restricted free agency or simply let him walk. Taking on Cristiano Felicio’s contract is not exactly ideal for Portland, but it is necessary in order to balance out Hassan Whiteside’s massive cap hit.
Giving up Nassir Little during his rookie season is something that may be controversial as well, but the project piece is only playing 12.5 minutes per contest this season. Little is not a factor in Portland this year, but certainly could be down the road. However, this is the price the Blazers would have to pay in order to entice the Bulls enough to make a deal.
As for the Bulls, Hassan Whiteside would certainly make for a great addition to the team for the remainder of the season, but it is highly unlikely that he would remain a Bull past this Summer. The true motivation here for Chicago is the former five-star high school recruit Nassir Little, who has an immense ceiling but is a major project piece for the time being. The Bulls could take a risk on Little and hope that he develops into a starting-caliber small forward to replace Otto Porter, or perhaps even more than that.