Naz Reid’s name is suddenly out there again, and that matters for the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, there is a “very high” chance the Charlotte Hornets will move Reid. Krawczynski laid it out on The Jon Krawczynski Show: “The possibilities of Naz Reid getting traded again are very high,” he said.
“This is a roster that I think is going to change over quite a bit over the next couple of years as the Hornets look for the right combination of people to really vault what they hope is contention. I think you can say that Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are gonna be there.
Beyond that, who knows?”
For Portland, that kind of buzz immediately points to a clear basketball need. The Blazers still need help up front, and Reid checks a lot of boxes. He’s the kind of stretch big who can slide between the four and the five, which gives the roster insurance for Robert Williams III’s injury history.
He’d also bring a different kind of flexibility to the frontcourt rotation. Portland has tried to patch that area with Micah Potter, but Reid is a much more productive version of that role. He’s the exact type of player this group is missing.
Reid has been rolling to start the season in Charlotte, and the numbers back it up: 17.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The shooting is the part Portland would really love, though. He’s hitting 36.5 percent from three, which is right in line with his career mark.
That kind of spacing changes the geometry of an offense. Reid is one of the most dependable floor-spacing bigs in the league, and that matters for a team built around size.
General manager Joe Cronin has shown a clear preference for size, and Reid’s ability to play the four makes him even more attractive. At 6-foot-9, he brings a versatile skill set that fits the way Portland wants to play.
His shooting would open lanes for players like Deni Avdija and Ja Morant to attack downhill, and he’d add another big who can handle the ball and create his own shot. That also gives Portland another option in transition, where Reid’s skill set can add a layer this roster doesn’t always have.
Micah Nori has talked about the value of putting multiple decision-makers on the floor at once, and Reid fits that idea cleanly. Donovan Clingan brings some court vision of his own, but he’s more limited than Reid.
Having both available, and even using them together, would give Portland another wrinkle. That kind of lineup flexibility would only add to what has already been an impressive 8-3 start.
It’s easy to overlook a move like this because Portland already has a lot of centers, but the fit is there. Reid and the Blazers could wind up being a sneaky strong match, and it’s the sort of move Cronin would seem inclined to make.
The catch is that Reid’s hot start makes him a prime sell-high candidate, and Charlotte may be ready to cash in. Portland, though, has been gathering assets, and this start and Damian Lillard’s return.
In Other News...
Micah Nori Sees A Different Blazers Team Starting To Emerge
Back-to-back wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder have given the Trail Blazers a little more breathing room and a lot more reason for optimism, and head coach Micah Nori sounded like a coach seeing his team start to take shape. Portland moved to 8-3 with the pair of victories, and Nori pointed to a clearer ability to close games as one of the biggest signs of progress after a strong stretch at home.
Sidy Cissoko also drew praise for the offensive impact he has brought, with Nori noting that his play could help solidify him in the starting lineup. The timing matters, too, because Portland is about to head out on a six-game road trip, where the Blazers will have to carry this momentum away from home and show that the recent gains are more than just a brief hot streak. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Just Gave Fans A Real Reason To Believe Again
Deni Avdija gave Portland exactly the kind of lift it has been searching for, pouring in 28 points as the Trail Blazers knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder, 118-108. It was the kind of win that feels bigger than a single night, with Portland matching Oklahoma Citys pace for long stretches and making enough shots to turn a promising effort into something tangible.
The Blazers were efficient enough to make it count, shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three-point range while holding the Thunder to 42 percent overall and 30.6 percent from deep. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still led Oklahoma City with 31 points, but Portlands balance and shot-making were enough to keep the game on its terms and leave a little more optimism hanging around the building. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Just Gave Fans A Reason To Believe This Start Is Real
Back-to-back wins over Oklahoma City gave Portland a much-needed early-season jolt, and the way the Trail Blazers handled the Thunder made it feel like more than just a hot night. The Blazers won 123-103 and then followed with a 118-108 result, with Damian Lillard again carrying the offense and helping set the tone when the game tightened.
Lillards scoring punch, especially his fourth-quarter work in the second meeting, was the kind of late-game answer Portland has been searching for. Oklahoma City was short-handed and leaned heavily on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 31 points in the second game, but the Blazers still controlled enough of the action to leave the series with a real statement and a little more belief in where this start might be headed. [Read more 🡒]