The Portland Trail Blazers have an interior defense problem, and the Phoenix Suns have an expendable veteran who might be able to help them out.
According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN over the weekend, the Blazers have been tracking Suns big man Tyson Chandler as a possible trade target.
Chandler, 34, has enjoyed a productive 2016-17 campaign that has seen him post averages of 7.5 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. But he’s in Year 2 of a four-year, $52 million contract, which could complicate matters for the capped-out Blazers. But Chandler is exactly the kind of interior presence Portland lacks, especially considering that they rank 15th in the league in points allowed in the paint and 26th in rebounding (per NBA.com).
Phoenix has reason to move Chandler to develop their young frontcourt players like Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, and Alex Len, while the Blazers have long been rumored to be interested in trading for a center. There aren’t many affordable assets left for Portland to trade, but they would definitely be addressing a huge inadequacy if they somehow managed to pull off the deal.
