Defense Still A Problem, Can The Blazers Fix It With A Trade?

Though there are still days and days to go before the NBA trade deadline, there are things for the Portland Trail Blazers to consider as that day draws near. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report examines what each team around the league can do to improve their prospects at the deadline. For Portland, one thing is clear: they need to fix their defense.

The Trail Blazers were supposed to get serious about defense under new coach Chauncey Billups. Guess what? It’s still abysmal, sitting dead last in efficiency.

As Buckley notes, the current state of the offense isn’t pretty.

Even worse, Portland’s once explosive offense no longer has the juice to carry this club. The Blazers were second in offensive efficiency just last season. They’re 11th so far, and not coincidentally are on course to post their worst winning percentage in over a decade.

But what is actually possible for the Blazers?

Clearly, some of these problems are attached to the personnel, but what does that mean for the deadline? Is CJ McCollum as good as gone? Could the Blazers really entertain Damian Lillard trade talks? Or will the Blazers poke around for modest upgrades and hope that Billups eventually finds a fix?

What would you do if you were interim GM Joe Cronin? Let us know in the comments.

You can read Buckley’s breakdown for each team here.