NBA Trade Rumors: Trail Blazers Could Swap Hassan Whiteside For Tristan Thompson, Per ‘King James Gospel’

After suffering huge disappointment in the 2019-20 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers once again became the center of various trade rumors this summer. Though they already made it clear to everyone in the league that they currently have no intention of trading Kevin Love, the Cavaliers are still highly expected to trade some of their veterans who are in the final year of their contracts before the February NBA trade deadline. As of now, one of the top trade candidates in Cleveland is veteran center Tristan Thompson.

Thompson may not have shown any indication that he already wants out of Cleveland, but at this point in his NBA career, he may be better off playing for a legitimate title contender than staying on a rebuilding team like the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to Tyler Marling of Fansided‘s King James Gospel, one of the NBA teams who could express interest in trading for Thompson is the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Thompson, on the other hand, is exactly what Portland would need coming off of their bench. It would allow them to play Zach Collins at the four alongside Thompson which would allow him to stretch the defense and open the paint up for Thompson to crash the offensive boards. Thompson is also great at running the floor and would thrive next to Portlands great guard duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum when they are pushing the pace.”

In the proposed trade deal by the Fansided blog, the Trail Blazers would be sending a trade package including Hassan Whiteside and Nassir Little to the Cavaliers in exchange for Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.

The potential deal would allow the Trail Blazers to add two veteran role players with championship experience. Thompson and Dellavedova would tremendously boost the Trail Blazers’ second unit and both of them are capable of stepping up when Portland’s starters need to rest or suffer an injury. If the deal becomes a reality, it will not only be beneficial for the Trail Blazers, but also for the Cavaliers.

In exchange for the expiring contracts of Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova, the Cavaliers would be acquiring a young and promising talent in Nassir Little who could be part of their long-term future. Hassan Whiteside could form an intriguing frontcourt duo with Kevin Love, but if he proves to be an odd fit on their roster and becomes a headache in their locker room, the Cavaliers could simply let him walk away as an unrestricted free agent next summer or try moving him before the trade deadline.