Former Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers in October in the Jrue Holiday trade, is "undoubtedly a trade candidate" according to MassLive's Brian Robb -- who speculated on how much Brogdon's recent knee soreness could factor into his trade value.
"It’s unclear at this point just how long Brogdon will be sidelined but will be worth watching with trade season set to begin later this month," Robb prefaced before saying, "The point guard still has two years left on his deal but is undoubtedly a trade candidate for a rebuilding Portland squad that has plenty of young backcourt talent in place already with Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons."
At least one analyst in the Portland area feels Brogdon is a must-trade, though not just yet given the potential to extract the most value possible out of any transaction that exists after playing the waiting game.
One Portland-area analyst feels Trail Blazers should wait until trade deadline to trade Malcolm Brogdon
KGW's Bryant Knox feels the Trail Blazers would be best off waiting until the trade deadline to offload Brogdon to maximize Portland's potential return.
"As of late November, it was reported that a Brogdon trade could potentially return a 2024-protected first-round pick," Knox prefaced before saying, "If you’re Cronin, holding out until closer to the deadline makes sense if you can start a bidding war aimed at shrinking those protections. But the GM has also made it clear that the direction of the franchise is youth. Brogdon isn’t a part of that long-term vision, and despite his leadership, his usage does limit Scoot Henderson’s touches to an extent. That’s all part of what goes into the complex equation that is Brogdon’s role on this roster."
Brogdon's value skyrockets to any contender that suffers a backcourt injury, besides, of course, the Celtics, who cannot trade for Brogdon this season. Portland hits the jackpot if that kind of hole opens up around the league.