Sports
NBA Trade Rumors: Blazers' Malcolm Brogdon Could Fetch Protected 1st-Round Draft Pick – Bleacher Report
If the Portland Trail Blazers want to continue heading toward a complete rebuild, they reportedly could get a protected first-round draft pick in return if they traded Malcolm Brogdon.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, three executives said they saw the price tag on a Brogdon trade as a protected first-rounder in the 2024 draft.
Scotto noted Brogdon, Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III were seen as potential trade targets at the start of the season, but Williams is out following season-ending knee surgery and “Grant’s value fluctuated among the executives, with no clear consensus.”
That could leave Brogdon if Portland is looking to make a move with an eye on the future.
Trading the guard would also create additional playing time for Scoot Henderson, which would be an important development for a Trail Blazers team counting on him to eventually develop into a franchise cornerstone.
Henderson was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft and has averaged 26 minutes per game in eight contests this season. He has shown flashes of his potential but is averaging just 9.1 points, 4.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 35.4 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from deep.
Brogdon turns 31 years old in December and is under contract through just the 2024-25 campaign.
He likely won’t be a key member of the Trail Blazers when they are eventually ready to realistically compete at the same level they were during the peak Damian Lillard years, so trading him this season could help acquire a draft pick that would turn into a contributor in those future campaigns.
Brogdon is averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game this season and is someone who could easily slide into a contender’s lineup and become a secondary contributor for a playoff run because of his ability to impact the game in a number of ways.
