The Portland Trail Blazers have a problem. After the trade for Ja Morant, they now have Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, Robert Williams III, Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and the aforementioned Morant. This long list doesn't even include Vit Krejči, who they traded for at the deadline, Yang Hansen, last year's top-20 first round pick, or Shaedon Sharpe, who will miss a considerable amount of time due to injury.
With 11 players on the roster who have some level of investment from the front office, there simply doesn't seem to be enough minutes to go around. There are only 240 minutes per game available to give out in regulation. How can those guys all get chances to play?
Quite simply, they can't, and with Tom Dundon rapidly making a villain out of himself in the state of Oregon, there's no way they pay players to play beyond their contracts connotations.
Now, this could mean any number of moves. Maybe Portland will offload Holiday, a usable veteran with a contract that gets bad at his age very quickly, to a contender who needs more two-way help and leadership. Maybe Krejči will offer shooting, defense, and complementary playmaking at his third stop in under two years. Maybe the rotation problem will solve itself if Lillard is just not good enough to play.
Any number of things could happen, but the only thing that each option entails is the Blazers offloading someone to make space. If the answer is Holiday or Lillard, there's no reason for the Indiana Pacers to get involved.
But, if it's someone else...
Trade targets on the Trail
There are few players in the league who would better fit the Pacers' system and needs than Toumani Camara. The ideal acquisition for Indiana is a defensively focused wing who can guard the opposing team's best non-big player or a go-to scorer to take their already potent offense to the next level.
Camara is the perfect defensive specialist to add to the starting lineup, slotting Aaron Nesmith into the starting shooting guard spot and moving Andrew Nembhard back to the bench, where he thrives.
And if someone said go-to scorer, Shaedon Sharpe could be had for next to nothing while he rehabs from a knee injury. His blend of shooting, slashing, and practical athleticism is absurd. There are justified worries on whether he can fit into a team that will need him to spend far less time on ball, but the talent is palpable.
The most exciting option, however, may be a Scoot Henderson. The former third overall pick point guard has had a disappointing start to his career but had a breakout playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Scoot could be the ideal successor to TJ McConnell, allowing the team to never be without a floor general.
The Pacers have a depth problem. So do the Trail Blazers. Their problems are on the opposite side of the spectrum, so maybe they can help each other out of their issues.
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