Skal Labissiere was the only move made by the Portland Trail Blazers at the deadline. In an interview post the deadline, Neil Olshey stated that Skal’s injury meant he couldn’t play for this team. So the move was just a salary dump.
It seemed likely earlier in the year that Hassan Whiteside would be moved because of his large expiring salary. Lacking depth in the front-court and without the ability to replace Whiteside because they are over the cap, it seemed like the logical move to trade him for some help in the front-court.