Just two days prior to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline and the chatter surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers has been minimal.
So much so that their coach hasn’t bothered to deliver a pep talk on how to navigate what’s often a tense moment of the season filled with uncertainty.
“I haven’t really had to this year, talk to anybody,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said following Tuesday’s practice. “The guys whose names will be out there, Malcolm (Brogdon) … Those guys have been a part of this thing for a long time. They understand. Their maturity level is totally different. It doesn’t change anything for them.”
Brogdon’s name has been floated around. But nothing concrete. In fact, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this week that there is a strong chance Brogdon remains in a Blazers uniform. Some reports have mentioned potential trade scenarios involving Jerami Grant. But, as with Brogdon, nothing appears to have legs.
“It’s been pretty quiet,” Billups. “We will see if it stays that way.”Brogdon, 31, appears to be fine if it does.
I’m honestly not even focused on it, as crazy as that sounds,” Brogdon said. “All I can focus on is staying healthy, playing good basketball here in Portland.”
Brogdon came to the Blazers days before training camp began from the Boston Celtics. Last season, Brogdon received the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award while playing for a contender. It would stand to reason that he would seek to play for a winner again rather than for a rebuilding team such as the Blazers. But he said he isn’t concerned with that and likes what the Blazers have going with their young team
