The Portland Trail Blazers have a chance to control NBA trade season. The only question is whether they'll be motivated to do so. On one hand, this club has fallen short of its collective expectations. On the other, this still looks like a core worth seriously supporting given Deni Avdija's All-Star ascension and Shaedon Sharpe's flashes of brilliance.
There are enough positives in Portland to imagine the front office is still feeling the same win-now itch that drove it toward acquiring Jrue Holiday this offseason. If the Blazers hope to truly change their fate, though, they need to go even bigger.