Crawford, Felton, and what Portland should do at the deadline

Jamal Crawford may be Portland's biggest trade chip.

By Matt Scotton

Well, it is that time of the year again - the NBA trade deadline approaches and trade rumors are everywhere.  Teams contending for a championship are trying to find that last piece to put them over the edge, while other teams are trying to rebuild.  The Blazers are not one trade away from being a contender; however, they do need to make some moves because the current set of personal is not working out how they hoped.  Everyone on this team, except Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge, is tradable.

The Blazers will probably entertain offers for Batum because of his expiring contract, but Raymond Felton will be the one wearing a different jersey come March 15.  There have been rumors that the Lakers want to swap Raymond Felton for Steve Blake.  This trade does not make sense for the Blazers because they had Blake before he lost the starting job to Andre Miller, and Felton then replaced Miller.  This trade is not helping the Blazers move forward, it moves them backward.  Blake is a good point guard, but Portland should not be trading for him.

That is really the only trade rumor out there specifically talking about Felton, probably because his trade value has gone down as of late.  When his production on the court went down, Nate McMillan decided to start Jamal Crawford at point guard and have Felton come off the bench.  In Portland’s loss to Minnesota, Felton went 1 for 9 from the field and that catapulted Felton back into the starting lineup.  1 for 9 and back in the starting lineup? It seems like Portland is trying to raise his trade value to get what they can for him.

Meanwhile, Jamal Crawford’s trade value is up and teams are calling Portland to see about acquiring him via trade.  Portland is rumored to be asking for a first round pick in addition to a player for Crawford.  Teams may not give Portland everything that they are asking for in return for Crawford.  Portland may have to choose either a draft pick or a player.  The teams that seem the most interested in Crawford right now are the Clippers, Pacers, Bobcats, and Timberwolves.  Portland needs a point guard, especially if they trade Felton, and all four of those teams are offering a point guard.  The Clippers are offering Eric Bledsoe; the Pacers are offering A.J. Price; the Bobcats are offering D.J. Augustin (the bobcats want a second round pick along with Crawford); and the Timberwolves are offering Luke Ridnour. 

Steve Nash is not the answer for Portland.

Any of these trades could happen, it all depends on if a team caves and gives the first round pick to accompany the player the Blazers are seeking.  The Timberwolves trade is the one that will probably happen when all is said and done.  The Blazers could try and package Felton and Crawford to Minnesota for Ridnour and a first round pick.  The Timberwolves may be more likely to do this since their star rookie, Ricky Rubio, is out with an ACL sprain for the year.  Dwight James of CSNW.com reports that Ridnour is the Blazers backup plan and that they have their eyes on another point guard right now.  It could be Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, or Jose Calderon.

Portland should not consider trading for Steve Nash.  Nash is an outstanding point guard, but there are a couple of concerns the Blazers should have with Nash.  First, Portland would probably have to give up too much to get him.  The second concern is that his contract is up this year, so they would essentially be renting Nash for the remainder of this year.  Let’s say that Portland gets Nash for a reasonable trade and he comes in, plays great and by some miracle Portland even makes the playoffs.  The Blazers would probably lose in the first round and get another mediocre draft pick.  Then, to top it off, Nash decides to hit free agency.  Trading for Nash would actually make the team worse in the long run, so it's definitely not a good move.

Another blaring need the Blazers have is a big man in the middle.  Three of the four centers the Blazers have are over 32 and in the last year of their contracts (two of them are over 37).  They should keep Chris Johnson, but he is not going to be a starting center.  He is too small; however, that does help him play with a chip on his shoulder, which is where his tenacity comes from.  Portland should not address the center position before the trade deadline.  They are working on upgrading the point guard position right now, and that's the right decision because Portland will be okay at center for the reminder of this year - they just need to address it in free agency and possibly the draft.

Luke Ridnour could return to the state of Oregon
to play basketball once again.

There are not many rumors involving Gerald Wallace currently.  If Dwight Howard is not traded from Orlando, then Wallace will not traded from Portland.  New Jersey is still interested in pairing Dwight Howard with Deron Williams as a “dynamic duo.”  A three-team trade involving Portland, New Jersey, and Orlando may still be in the future.  Wallace has brought a great mentality to this team, but they should trade him if they can get some good draft picks in return.  The draft this year is going to be a good one and Portland needs to build for their future.

Portland needs to make some moves before the trade deadline.  It seems like there is interest in Jamal Crawford, which gives the Blazers a chance for an upgrade at point guard.  There is a strong chance that Luke Ridnour will return to Oregon to play basketball once again, and the Blazers would be smart to make that happen. Ridnour would be great for all the fans that saw him lead the Oregon Ducks to the Elite 8 in 2002. This would be great decision for the Blazers on and off the court.