Trade targets: All 30 teams (in progress)
Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 21-26
8th in West
Status: Sellers
Because the Western Conference postseason race hasn't materialized as expected, the Blazers find themselves with the seventh-best record in the West.
Still, don't expect Portland to load up for a run at the playoffs. The Blazers lose their first-round pick to the Denver Nuggets via the Arron Afflalo trade if they reach the postseason. Otherwise, it's lottery-protected again next season before converting to second-round picks in 2018 and 2019. As a result, the focus in Portland remains on long-term development more than wins this season.
Potential trade targets
Ty Lawson
The Blazers remain $13.6 million in payroll below the NBA's salary floor, and while the penalty for failing to spend to that level is minimal (Portland would have to pay the difference, to be split among the players on the roster), that presents an opportunity to save money. That's because the full salary of any player the Blazers acquire at the deadline counts against the floor, while Portland pays only the amount the player is still owed this season (about one-third of his salary if acquired at the deadline).
Ideally, the Blazers would add a player who can be part of their young core or a prime pick as compensation for taking on a bad contract. Lawson is one such example. If the Houston Rockets decide Lawson's season can't be salvaged, trading him into Portland's cap space would not only nearly get the Blazers to the floor, but also move the Rockets below the luxury tax and give them an enormous trade exception that could be used in another deal. In this case, Portland would surely ask for some kind of picks or prospects for helping Houston out.
Lance Stephenson of the Los Angeles Clippers and Chris Andersen of the Miami Heat are lower-priced players who could be moved to the Blazers to reduce their teams' tax obligation.
Joe Johnson
Failing to get picks or prospects, Portland can still make a deal that would save both teams money by taking a high-priced player off another team's hands. For example, dealing Gerald Henderson for Johnson would save the Blazers about $7 million while also saving the Brooklyn Nets about $6 million by reducing their payroll.
Most trade value
1. Damian Lillard
Lillard's price skyrockets next season, when he'll begin a maximum five-year extension worth an estimated $120 million, but he's proven this season that he's worth the investment as a capable go-to guy.
2. C.J. McCollum
Because he has one more bargain year left on his rookie contract, McCollum might be nearly as valuable as Lillard. But McCollum is a year away from potentially demanding an even larger starting salary on his own rookie extension.
That's one reason Oregonian columnist John Canzano argued last week that the Blazers should trade McCollum, setting off an intense discussion in Rip City.
If they can get a bigger young guard who has a similar ability to complement Lillard offensively, the organization should consider it. However, complete players like that typically aren't available in trades.
3. Mason Plumlee
Making just $1.4 million this season to start at center, Plumlee is another one of the league's best bargains. He, too, has one more cheap season on his rookie contract ($2.3 million for 2016-17) before becoming eligible for an extension.
4. Al-Farouq Aminu
It's to the credit of Portland GM Neil Olshey that multiple players the team signed as free agents last summer have positive trade value because they've outplayed their contracts.
That list is headlined by Aminu, the Blazers' highest-paid player this season. His contract will descend in the next three seasons, paying him approximately $22 million in that span.
That's a great rate for a quality defender who has shown enough 3-point ability to capably start at small forward and cover for the defensive shortcomings of the Lillard-McCollum backcourt.
5. Allen Crabbe
Crabbe has emerged as a strong reserve wing who can score and hold his own defensively, and he's making the league minimum for third-year players this season. However, Crabbe is due for a big raise as a restricted free agent this summer.
6. Ed Davis
Davis, who has emerged as one of the league's top backup centers and will be making just $13 million the next two seasons as the cap explodes, also falls into the category of 2015 free agents with positive trade value less than a year later.
7. Meyers Leonard
After opting not to sign an extension during training camp, Leonard has seen his value decline after a shooting slump likely tied to the shoulder injury that sidelined him in November. Yet the Portland offense continues to run better with Leonard dragging opposing big men to the perimeter. He'll be a restricted free agent next summer.
Most valuable draft pick
2018 first-rounder
Because of the Afflalo trade, the Blazers can't deal a first-round pick until 2018 at the earliest, and even that would be contingent on their pick not going to Denver in 2017.
Biggest question mark
Noah Vonleh
Vonleh is less than two years removed from being the No. 9 overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets quickly moved on, dealing Vonleh for Nicolas Batum last summer, and Vonleh's flashes of impressive play as a starter in Portland haven't translated into consistent production.
If he's not the long-term answer at power forward for the Blazers, who is?
Toughest contract to trade
Chris Kaman
Because they had so much cap space, the Blazers hung onto Kaman despite his $5 million salary being only $1 million guaranteed last summer. With younger, better options, Terry Stotts has found little use for Kaman, who has played just 55 minutes all season.
Kaman is a year removed from playing regularly on a playoff team, so he might be able to contribute elsewhere if a team looks past his price tag.
Player most likely to be traded
Gerald Henderson
Sent to Portlandia in the Vonleh-Batum deal, Henderson has provided his usual long 2-and-D production. Yet he's playing just 16.1 minutes per game -- his lowest average since his rookie season -- because of the Blazers' crowd at the wing spots.
Both Crabbe and Maurice Harkless are more likely to fit into Portland's long-term plans than Henderson, who could help a wing-needy contender like the Oklahoma City Thunder.