Portland Trail Blazers

Report: Portland Trail Blazers linked to Jae Crowder, Mo Bamba and Nerlens Noel

Published by
Peter Dewey

The Portland Trail Blazers reportedly could be active for several players in the trade market, including Jae Crowder, Mo Bamba and Nerlens Noel, according to Danny Marang during an appearance on KGW Sports.

“Marang said backup bigs on the open market have been linked to Portland, including players like Orlando Magic 7-foot center Mo Bamba and Detroit Pistons 6-11 center Nerlens Noel,” KGW’s staff wrote.

 

Phoenix Suns 6-6 forward Jae Crowder is another player, ‘Portland will probably be looking at,’ according to Marang.”

The Blazers appear to want to add more athleticism to their roster, specifically at the center position with Bamba and Noel as targets.

Noel has played in just 13 games for the Pistons this season. With the team way out of the playoff race, Noel has been out of the rotation in favor of younger players like Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.

This season, Noel is averaging 2.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. However, he showed during time with the New York Knicks that he can be a quality option at center, especially on defense.

During the 2020-21 season, Noel averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 61.4 percent from the field. An injury limited his playing time last season before he was dealt to Detroit in the offseason.

Bamba, a former lottery pick, has played in 40 games for Orlando this season. A solid shot-blocker, Bamba can also stretch the floor from the center position.

He’s averaging 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 block per game this season while shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point land. That’s the highest 3-point percentage of Bamba’s young career.

Bamba and Noel both aren’t on long-term deals as well, so it’s not a major financial commitment for the Blazers if they make a deal. Noel has a team option for next season while Bamba’s salary for the 2023-24 campaign is non-guaranteed.

As for Crowder, he has yet to play this season for the Suns as the two sides have looked for a trade. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason, but he may not cost a lot on the trade market since Phoenix is paying him right now to not play.

Crowder played a key role for the Suns in the 2021-22 season. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The Blazers appear to be willing to make a small tweak to help improve their roster to make a playoff push in the Western Conference.

Portland is currently the No. 11 seed in the West ahead of Monday night’s action in the NBA.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

‘Wtf’: Trae Young reacts to Rashad McCants saying he could score 81 points like Kobe Bryant

Back in January of 2006, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant put on one…

20 hours ago

Rashad McCants says he could’ve won ROTY but had a coach who was ‘shaking in the motherf——g huddle’

Former NBA guard Rashad McCants was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the last lottery…

4 mins ago

Chandler Parsons says Jaylen Brown would be best player on over half of NBA teams, including some playoff teams

The Boston Celtics were without maybe their top player for Wednesday's Game 2 versus the…

8 mins ago

‘Spo gonna Spo’: Cavs player gives Erik Spoelstra his flowers after Heat’s near-upset in Game 2

The odds were stacked against the Miami Heat to pick up a win in Game…

21 mins ago

Report: Will Campbell landing with Patriots may depend on whether team gets ‘fair deal’ to trade down

As a consolation prize for a woeful 2024 season that was marred by losing, the…

25 mins ago

Report: ‘Most of the league’ has been contacted about Jalen Ramsey, including Rams, Lions and Eagles

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is one of the more notable players in the league…

28 mins ago