The Portland Trail Blazersâ trade for Ja Morant gave them another star guard. It also made their roster harder to balance.
One new trade pitch would address that problem by moving Shaedon Sharpe for a proven frontcourt piece.
Sports Illustratedâs Austin Veazey proposed a deal that would send Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington to Portland, with Sharpe going back to Dallas. The proposal was framed as a way for both teams to deal from a position of depth: the Mavericks from their frontcourt and the Blazers from their suddenly crowded backcourt.
For Portland, the idea is not just about moving a guard. It is about reshaping the roster after a bold Morant trade that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies.
That deal gave the Blazers a high-end creator to pair with Damian Lillard, but it also removed a veteran forward from the rotation and added another ball-dominant guard to a group that already included Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Sharpe.
Washington would not solve every issue for Portland. But he would give the Blazers something they need after the Morant move: a two-way forward with playoff experience, size and a contract that lines up with a team trying to win sooner rather than later.
P.J. Washington Would Help Balance the Blazersâ Roster
The Blazers did not trade for Morant to keep operating like a rebuilding team.
That is what makes the Washington idea interesting from Portlandâs side. He is not a prospect who needs years of development. He is a 6-foot-7 forward who has already played meaningful postseason minutes and shown he can defend bigger wings, space the floor and fit next to stars.
Veazey noted that Washington is entering the first year of a four-year, $88 million deal. That makes him a significant investment, but not an outrageous one if Portland views him as a long-term starter or high-minute forward.
The fit is easy to understand.
Portlandâs guard group is heavy on creation. Morant can pressure the rim. Lillard can still bend defenses with his shooting and pick-and-roll gravity. Holiday gives the Blazers a veteran defender and secondary playmaker. Henderson remains a former top draft pick whose development still matters.
What Portland needs around that group is size, defense and low-maintenance frontcourt production.
Shaedon Sharpe Could Be the Tough Cost of the Ja Morant Trade
Sharpe is the painful part of the proposal.
He is younger than Washington, more explosive and still carries real upside as a scorer. Trading him would be an admission that Portlandâs backcourt math has changed after the Morant deal.
That does not mean the Blazers should be eager to move him. It does mean they have to be honest about role clarity.
Morant and Lillard are going to have the ball. Holiday is too good and too expensive to treat like a fringe rotation piece. Henderson still needs minutes if Portland wants to preserve his value and development path. That leaves Sharpe in a difficult spot, even if he is talented enough to force his way into the rotation.
The question for Portland is whether Sharpeâs best value is still on the floor or in a trade.
If the Blazers believe he can thrive as an off-ball scorer next to Morant and Lillard, keeping him makes sense. His athleticism gives Portland a dimension that not every guard on the roster has. He can run the floor, attack gaps and create offense without needing to play like a traditional point guard.
But if the Blazers are serious about building a more balanced roster around Morant and Lillard, they may eventually have to turn one guard into a forward.
That is the logic of the Washington proposal.
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