The Portland Trail Blazers knew that 2023-24 was going to be a long season. Perhaps they did not envision themselves being 20-56 along with the fourth-worst point differential and net rating in the league, but such is life in the NBA when winning is not the priority.
That was the case with the Blazers this season, and rightfully so. Once they traded Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday for trade packages headlined by multiple first-round picks, they made their bed toward the bottom of the standings.
Portland is in the early stages of a deep rebuild. They need to see what they have in their extensive young core. That includes the likes of Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara and Kris Murray. Any veterans on the roster could be looked at as a trade chip to bring in more draft capital.
One of those players, in particular, stands out as a potential trade piece. That would be Robert Williams III.
1 player Blazers must trade: Robert Williams III
It's a shame how much injuries have gotten in Williams' way over his NBA career. He once looked like a foundational piece for the Boston Celtics with his blend of rim-protection, passing and finishing around the paint. But he played in 209 of a possible 390 games over his five-year stint in Boston, a nagging knee injury is to blame. It really reared its head in their run to the NBA Finals in 2022, but Williams played through it, a decision that didn't make the injury much better.
Williams' inability to be available played a part in Boston's motivation to trade for Kristaps Porzingis this offseason. The Celtics also sought his shooting prowess, resulting in five-out spacing Williams can't provide. After landing Porzingis, Williams became expendable. As a result, Boston included Williams, Malcolm Brogdon and two future first-round picks to acquire Holiday after the Lillard trade transpired.
With Portland already trading for Ayton in the deal with Milwaukee for their former franchise cornerstone, their acquisition of Williams raised some eyebrows. Sure, the Blazers are in asset acquisition mode, but that's a lot of investment money-wise for two centers with similar games. Williams had the opportunity to compete with Ayton for the starting job and prove that he can stay healthy.
Unfortunately, neither happened. Williams played in just six games this season before getting shut down. He underwent knee surgery in November to repair a patellar dislocation and was ruled out for the rest of the season shortly after.
With all the time that has passed with him off the floor, Williams' place in Portland doesn't feel all that vital. Ayton has picked up his play the last couple of months after a slow start. Duop Reath has provided the Blazers solid minutes off the bench, too.
Reath is a rare 27-year-old rookie, but he provides an element of shooting and spacing that neither Ayton nor Williams do. He is shooting 36% from three on 3.6 attempts per game and 7.2 shots per-36 minutes. Any team in the league would take those numbers from a second-string center.
Portland owes Ayton about $79 million over the next two seasons. Reath is on a very affordable deal that pays him just $4.27 million over that same span. There really isn't a need for Williams in Portland, especially given the $25.7 million he's owed over the next two seasons.
The Blazers can get good value for Williams at that figure if he can prove he is healthy after undergoing surgery. They should pursue trades with him in the summer.
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