The Portland Trail Blazers’ wing problem got even harder to ignore after Vit Krejci went down with a lower-left-leg fracture, and the timing points straight toward one possible trade partner: the Los Angeles Clippers.
Portland was already thin on the wing before the injury. Now the issue is sharper, and general manager Joe Cronin has room to act before February’s trade deadline.
The Blazers are $16.9 million below the first apron, and they still have an open spot on their 15-man roster after waiving Jeremy Sochan before the season. That flexibility gives them a clean path to chase help.
If Portland is going to spend its trade capital on a wing, the Clippers look like the team to call.
Los Angeles is sitting at 1-7, and its outlook looks even bleaker after the NBA’s punishment tied to the Kawhi Leonard situation. That kind of start makes veteran wings easier to imagine as available, and the names that fit Portland’s needs are Derrick Jones Jr., Max Strus, and Rui Hachimura.
Any of the three would help, but the fit isn’t identical. Hachimura or Strus would give the Blazers the kind of shooting they were hoping to get from Krejci, or at least the version of him Cronin had in mind when Portland acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks at last year’s deadline. Jason Quick of The Athletic noted that Krejci has been dealing with injuries that have affected his shot, and the numbers since his arrival in Portland back that up.
From a spacing standpoint, Hachimura or Strus could even give Portland a boost off the bench. Hachimura has quietly been one of the league’s most efficient three-point shooters, topping 40 percent in each of his last three seasons with the Lakers. That’s part of why he was already mentioned as an offseason target for Portland, and with the two teams moving in opposite directions to start this season, he makes sense as a name to revisit.
Still, Jones may be the cleanest answer for what Portland actually needs. He brings the length and athleticism Cronin likes, and he would help cover more than just Krejci’s absence. The Blazers have also lost traits from players like Kris Murray, Jerami Grant, and Matisse Thybulle, so Jones would address more than one hole.
His shot isn’t the best match, but his two-way value fits the roster and the identity Cronin has built. The contract matters too: Jones is on an expiring $10.5 million deal, the cheapest of the three. That could make him easier for the Clippers to move, especially in a season that has already gone off the rails.
In the end, it comes down to how Los Angeles values each player. But whether it’s Strus, Jones, or Hachimura, the Clippers have veteran wings Portland should see as available. The Blazers need help, and Krejci’s injury only makes the search more urgent.
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