[Quick] Portland center Donovan Clingan is now all but untouchable in trade talks, according to a team source… The Blazers are still in the market to make another deal… the team does not feel it is essential to unload one of its guards. The Blazers believe the four guards can co-exist
One thing has become certain about the Trail Blazers after Monday’s trade for point guard Ja Morant: Portland center Donovan Clingan is now all but untouchable in trade talks, according to a team source.
With the Blazers acquiring Morant, and welcoming the return of Damian Lillard this season, the need for Clingan’s elite rim protection has become so valuable that the team considers Clingan an essential piece to making the backcourt pairing work. Morant and Lillard are both undersized guards, and neither have excelled on the defensive end, so the need for the 7-foot-2 Clingan’s deterrence inside has become even more valuable.
The Blazers are still in the market to make another deal. They want more big-man depth and realize they have a logjam of four point guards with Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, but the team does not feel it is essential to unload one of its guards. The Blazers believe the four guards can co-exist, in large part because the team believes Holiday can alleviate the redundancy by playing him off the ball as a shooting guard or small forward.
Inside the Blazers, the decision to take on Morant in exchange for forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray was seen as a no-brainer. In a league that is become more positionless, the Blazers see it as a luxury having a stable of decision-makers a luxury. Still, expect the Blazers to be active in the coming days.