Portland Trail Blazers reportedly plan to trade Robert Williams! Willingness to trade higher than last season, Yang Hansheng expected to get more playing time

On December 8th Beijing time, NBA reporter Jake Fischer revealed that compared to last season, the Trail Blazers are more inclined to move Robert Williams before the February 6 trade deadline. Fischer wrote: "As far as I know, the Trail Blazers’ willingness to trade Robert Williams this season is greater than last year, when the team set a high asking price for this injury-prone big man."

Last season, Williams was already surrounded by trade rumors; at that time, the Trail Blazers expected multiple second-round picks in return but ultimately deemed his value higher than market offers and decided to keep him. However, this season may be different for the following reasons—

First, the Trail Blazers have selected centers in the first round for two consecutive years, drafting Klingen and Yang Hansheng, which raises questions about Williams’ long-term fit in the roster and increases his overall replaceability.

Second, Williams carries a $13.3 million expiring contract, which forces the Trail Blazers to make a final decision about the future of this talented yet injury-plagued interior player.

This season, Williams has performed notably for Portland, averaging 15.3 minutes per game with 5.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks, ranking second on the team in defensive efficiency (110.3), only behind Sable (102.6). Given his recent strong form and relative health, this might be an ideal moment for Portland to capitalize on his remaining trade value.

Losing Williams will undoubtedly weaken the Trail Blazers’ playoff competitiveness, but the team has maintained a long-term rebuilding vision throughout and must adhere to this principle in making such a difficult decision.

Looking ahead, Portland’s frontcourt plan is clear: Klingen provides elite rim protection as a baseline, while Yang Hansheng has the potential to become an offensive focal point. Keeping Williams would only complicate the roster structure unnecessarily. This season has already shown evidence — Williams’ rotation spot has pushed Yang Hansheng out of the lineup, limiting the rookie’s minutes needed for development.

Although Williams has played well this season, his expiring contract and extensive injury history make it challenging for Portland to obtain significant assets in return. Nevertheless, the team should strive to gain some compensation and proactively resolve this contract dilemma.

Sending him to a championship contender makes complete sense, even if only as a short-term rental for immediate impact. When healthy, Williams is a gifted player capable of changing the course of games. It remains unclear which teams are interested, but squads with frontcourt weaknesses and playoff aspirations to watch include the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, and even his former team, the Boston Celtics.