The Phoenix Suns’ 1-4 start has already put them in a tough spot, and the way this season is unfolding could leave them outside the play-in picture in a Western Conference that looks deeper than it did a year ago. That kind of slide has only sharpened the scrutiny around Mat Ishbia, who recently acknowledged the Kevin Durant blockbuster was a mistake.
Portland’s situation is different, but the two franchises now feel connected in a way they didn’t before. The Trail Blazers are dealing with their own new-owner era under Tom Dundon, who has said he is more aggressive than most owners when it comes to making blockbuster trades.
Portland’s first major swing landed Ja Morant, and the price was nowhere near what Phoenix paid for Durant. Before the injury, Morant also looked like a surprisingly strong fit in Portland.
With both teams moving in opposite directions after those bold decisions, they suddenly look like natural trade partners.
One name that makes sense for Portland if Phoenix decides to sell is Dillon Brooks.
The Blazers have already been floated as a possible destination for Scoot Henderson in a separate trade idea tied to the Suns’ point guard issues. Brooks would address a different need: wing depth.
He’s the kind of player who becomes a headache for everyone else and a favorite for the team that has him. Portland could use another two-way wing with that edge, especially when the games tighten up later in the year.
Sidy Cissoko has been excellent to open the season and has helped cover for the absence of Jerami Grant, Kris Murray and Matisse Thybulle. But that’s a heavy burden for a 22-year-old wing who was a two-way signing just one season ago.
The Blazers also can’t ignore the injury risk already hanging over the roster. Morant and Shaedon Sharpe are out, and if another wing or forward goes down, the margin gets even thinner.
Vit Krejci has also struggled to start the season.
Brooks would bring something Portland doesn’t fully have right now: a villain streak. That matters.
The Blazers already have a little of that in Toumani Camara, who irritates opponents in his own way by drawing offensive fouls. Adding Brooks could help restore some of the defensive identity Portland lost in the offseason and give the roster another player who can set a tone on that end.
That kind of addition would matter even more in the postseason, where opponents will keep trying to attack the undersized Morant-Lillard backcourt. Portland has still opened the season in the top ten in defensive efficiency, thanks to the structure already in place and pieces like Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday. Brooks would be another layer if the Blazers want to keep building on that base.
There is one catch: Brooks signed a three-year, $73 million extension through 2029-30 and is not trade-eligible right now. Because he signed before August 11, though, he would become eligible to be moved at the February 11 deadline.
Ishbia has already made his stance on Brooks clear. When a trade idea involving Austin Reaves came up on X, he replied: “Don’t bother calling...
Suns aren’t interested. Dillon’s not going anywhere.”
But after a start like this, Phoenix may have to take a hard look at veterans on the roster if the losses keep piling up.
If that happens, Portland should be right there, looking for the kind of wing help that could make a real difference down the stretch.
In Other News...
Thunder Just Got The Reset They Desperately Needed
A lineup tweak has given Scoot Henderson a bigger stage, with Micah Nori moving him into the starting five and easing Jrue Holidays workload in the process. For a Blazers team still sorting out its backcourt future, it is another meaningful look at the former G League Ignite guard who went third overall in 2023 and has spent much of his early career trying to answer the same question: what exactly is his long-term role here?
Hendersons new opportunity comes at a time when the wider Western Conference picture is being shaped by injuries and adjustments elsewhere, including the ripple effects felt by Oklahoma City and Denver. Portland is watching its own guard rotation closely, but this shift also puts a spotlight on how the Blazers want to balance present-day stability with the possibility that Henderson can grow into the point guard they eventually build around. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Could Be Short Handed As Blazers Eye Another Statement Win
The Trail Blazers keep finding themselves in the middle of games that carry a little more weight than the calendar suggests, and the latest one could come with a short-handed opponent. Phoenix listed Jordan Goodwin as questionable because of right calf soreness, while Rasheer Fleming is also in question with a left ankle sprain and Mark Williams remains out after left shoulder surgery. For Portland, the injury report still includes Ja Morant and Shaedon Sharpe, so both sides are working around notable absences as the matchup approaches.
For a Blazers team looking to stack another statement win, the Suns availability report matters because it can shift the shape of the game before the opening tip. Even with Portland dealing with its own injury issues, a thinner Phoenix rotation would change the pressure points on both ends of the floor and give the Blazers a better chance to keep building momentum. The final word on those questionable tags will go a long way toward defining what kind of test this turns into. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Clingan Just Gave Blazers Fans Real Reason To Believe
A road win in Denver is never just another line in the standings, and the Trail Blazers 5-1 start is starting to look a lot more real because of what Donovan Clingan did against Nikola Jokic. Portland leaned on the rookie big man in a major way, and he answered with a performance that went well beyond the box score, giving the Blazers a physical presence they could trust for long stretches.
Clingan finished with 17 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks in 32 minutes, while also posting the best plus-minus among Portland starters at plus-10. More important for the Blazers, he helped make life difficult for Jokic and showed the kind of two-way impact that can change the feel of a game against a contender, which is exactly the sort of development Portland has been waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]