The Blazers didn’t get Jaylen Brown, who was reportedly their main trade target in the market, as he is already with the 76ers after the Celtics took Paul George and four picks.
Before that, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer had the Blazers as a top Brown suitor, with the Celtics asking for up to four first-round picks and the Blazers trying to keep Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan out of talks.
The Blazers already made the Ja Morant swing, also sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies. Morant makes Scoot Henderson much more movable, and that changes everything in their trade block. Now the target shouldn’t be another small guard. It should be a brand-new scoring forward next to Morant, Lillard, Avdija, and Clingan.
1. Brandon Ingram
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Brandon Ingram
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Scoot Henderson, Robert Williams III, Matisse Thybulle, 2028 first-round pick (Magic), 2029 first-round pick
This is the one I like the most for the article because it is realistic, expensive, but not insane. Brandon Ingram just got moved to the Clippers in the Kawhi Leonard trade, so there is no direct report saying the Clippers are already shopping him. But the logic is there regardless.
The Clippers missed the playoffs, moved Leonard, got picks, got Gradey Dick, and now have Ingram on a $40.0 million average annual salary deal. They can either build around him and Darius Garland or flip him if another team pays a good price.
For the Blazers, this is the main Brown replacement on offense. Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 2025-26, shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.2% from three. He is not Brown defensively, but he gives the Blazers a half-court wing scorer who can play between Morant and Avdija. That is the big thing. The Blazers need someone who can get to the middle, shoot over smaller defenders, and give them a playoff shot profile, even with Ingram’s postseason becoming a disaster.
The Clippers would listen if they don’t want to lock their new era around Ingram right away. Henderson gives them a young guard with Garland, Williams gives them rim protection if healthy, Thybulle gives them defense, and the picks give them the real value. I would call this a medium chance. Not easy, but very believable.
2. Michael Porter Jr.
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Michael Porter Jr.
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Scoot Henderson, Robert Williams III, Matisse Thybulle, 2029 first-round pick
Michael Porter Jr. is the most natural basketball fit. The Blazers need size and shooting at forward, and Porter gives them both. He averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 2025-26 with the Nets, shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.3% from three on huge volume. Porter was a borderline All-Star after his trade from the Nuggets, showing he has the tools to become a top-featured scorer on a contender.
The reason this has a chance is that the Nets are still not close to contending. Yes, they added Julius Randle, but moved Nic Claxton, the Porter situation has been described as unresolved, and they are clearly just taking on salaries that come with extra draft assets.
They also have cap space and 13 future first-round picks, so the Nets don’t really need to chase a bad deal, and if a good offer comes with youth and picks, they are more than willing to take it.
For the Blazers, Porter is less of a creator than Ingram, but he might be a better fit with Morant and Lillard in the backcourt together. Both guards are experts at collapsing the defense. Porter lives on catch-and-shoot threes, transition trails, and quick scoring touches. Avdija can still handle some forward creation, so Porter really just needs to have the same insane efficiency off the catch he showed with the Nuggets during his career.
The risk is injury, given he has an expiring deal. Porter is owed $40.8 million in 2026-27, and he already had a hamstring issue that ended his 2025-26 season. The Nets probably just sidelined him to tank hard at the end of the regular season, but Porter’s back and low leg problems have been there since before he entered the league.
I think that all of that combined lowers the price a little. I would call this a medium-high chance if the Nets don’t fully want to pay Porter long-term given all the trade chatter he was involved in during last season.
3. Zion Williamson
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Robert Williams III, 2028 Magic first-round pick
This is the wild one, but there’s no one saying it couldn’t happen at all. The Pelicans went 26-56 last season, and that is the whole point. You don’t keep pretending forever when the team is this bad. Zion Williamson averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 62 games, shooting 60.0% from the field. That is still monster efficiency, even if the volume and availability always bring questions.
The contract is also part of the reason he could become movable. Zion is owed $42.2 million in 2026-27 and $44.9 million in 2027-28. That is not a small gamble, but the Blazers are already gambling with Morant and all of his issues. If they want to go all-in on elite pressure at the rim, Morant and Zion would be absurd with Lillard stretching the floor as the two-guard.
The fit is not perfect. I won’t lie; the Blazers were still one of the less aggressive three-point shooting teams of the past season. Now, if they had Morant and Zion together, the spacing could get tight, and Clingan is not really a stretch five.
But the Blazers did become the team with the most drives per game in the entire league, and in that category, having Zion and Morant would be ridiculous. And Avdija, who was already attacking the rim non-stop, becomes even more important in that pressure scheme.
The Pelicans only do this if they finally admit they need a reset. Henderson gives them a young point guard, Sharpe gives them a high-upside scorer, Williams is salary and defense if healthy, and the Magic pick gives them a good asset. I would call this a low-medium chance, but the pairing would be amazing.
4. Lauri Markkanen
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Receive: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Robert Williams III, 2028 first-round pick (Magic), 2029 first-round pick
Lauri Markkanen is the best basketball fit of all four, but also probably the hardest to get. He averaged 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 2025-26, shooting 47.7% from the field, 35.5% from three, and 89.6% from the line.
Simply put, the Finnish forward is a perfect modern piece next to Morant and Clingan. He doesn’t need the ball all the time; he spaces from deep, and he gives the Blazers a top frontcourt scorer.
The issue is the Jazz don’t look like a team selling everything right now. They have Markkanen, Darryn Peterson, Keyonte George, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, and even let go of Walker Kessler to finally focus on their own contending efforts. The Jazz are trying to move up, not looking to dump their best scorer.
Still, Markkanen belongs here because the price would be similar to the Brown range. The Blazers were already viewed as a team with enough assets to chase Brown, and Markkanen is the kind of player worth reopening that asset pile for. He is younger than Brown, bigger than Brown, cheaper than Brown by a decent margin, and easier to fit next to high-usage guards. Markkanen’s deal pays him $46.4 million in 2025-26, which is big but not Brown-level scary.
I would call this a low chance unless the Jazz get nervous about being stuck in the middle. But if the Blazers want the best possible non-Brown forward, this is the guy to push for.
