I'll start by saying that I'm probably one of the longer-tenured not-overly impressed with Batum people. I don't mean that as bragging, but just as a statement that I favored Martell over him because Martell seemed to contribute in other ways when his shot wasn't falling, and I saw more effort out of Webster consistently. Again, not saying Webster is a better player, but I favored him over Batum, so I've got a semi-long standing bias.
At the same time though, let's be real, Batum isn't consistently putting lines up like tonight. Usually the stats are at least a bit more stuffed, and it's not whether the stats are there that's typically in question as much as whether or not his impact lived up to the stats.
Going forward it comes down to short-term and long-term fit. Realistically, you're not going to trade for someone who's a better player to start at the 3 who's also a better fit. Most players that would be classified as "better" are classified as so because of scoring, something that most players wouldn't have as much opportunity in a starting unit in PDX with Lillard/Aldridge getting 45+ and Wes throwing in 15-ish.
So you have to decide what you'd actually want out of a transaction. Is it to get more proven bench players other than Kaman and Blake? It's still weird to count on Blake to be honest. I love CJ and I think he can step up like he did tonight more frequently as he gets back into the rotation, but I would only maybe count on him and Crabbe to be current bench players contributing to our team in two years (I love T-Rob, but who knows with him). So do you try and flip Batum/CJ for a true 6th man of the year candidate and another reliable bench player? Do you hope CJ becomes one of those?
It depends on what your timeframe for results is, and how much you think getting rid of Batum would negatively impact chemistry.
