Woj: Wouldn't Rule out Blazers Trading Malcolm Brogdon at Deadline amid Lakers Rumors

Malcolm Brogdon could be on the move ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his podcast that he "wouldn't rule out" the Portland Trail Blazers trading the guard even though he doesn't believe they are having many "active" discussions about such a move at this point.

The update comes after Matt Moore of Action Network listed Brogdon as one of the "names to keep an eye on" for the Los Angeles Lakers.

As Wojnarowski noted, Portland values Brogdon's veteran leadership.

There also isn't much urgency for a potential trade, as he is still under contract through the 2024-25 campaign and could always be moved next year ahead of potential free agency. The calculus would be different if he could leave in free agency during the upcoming offseason.

After all, Portland is playing out the string on a lost season with a 12-30 record. The 31-year-old Brogdon likely won't be a primary contributor when it is ready to compete again, so a trade would almost be required for improved roster building if he was on an expiring deal.

Still, it wouldn't be shocking if the Trail Blazers do trade him.

Accumulating future assets is the most important thing the front office can do at this point, even if that means trading the guard to their Western Conference rivals in Los Angeles.

Brogdon could stabilize the backcourt for the Lakers or a number of other competitors as someone who can impact the game in a number of ways. He is averaging 15.5 points, 5.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep.

That shooting in particular would play well in Los Angeles as opposing defenses collapse on LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Such a scenario would require a trade, and Wojnarowski still believes it is a possibility even without that urgency.