The last 2 seasons have not gone the way the Portland Trail Blazers had hoped they would and it cost them one of the greatest players in franchise history. On September 27th, they traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks as a part of a 3 team trade that included the Phoenix Suns. As a part of the trade they sent Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson to the Suns and received Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camera from the Suns and Jrue Holiday, a 2029 unprotected first round pick, and 2 pick swaps from the Bucks. On October 1st, they flipped Holiday to the Boston Celtics for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, a 2024 first round pick via the Warriors, and a 2029 unprotected first round pick via the Celtics. Portland had a very active offseason that was headlined by the Lillard and Holiday trades.
At the beginning of the offseason, the Blazers landed the 3rd overall pick in the draft. There were rumors they were going to trade it because Lillard wanted them too but they held onto it and drafted Scoot Henderson. I love Henderson, and when the Hornets took Brandon Miller over Henderson, I was really excited for the Blazers and their fans. Henderson has so many tools that translate to the NBA and I think he is going to be a star. They also drafted Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert and those are guys who can, and will need to, contribute to the team this season. In free agency, they re-signed Jerami Grant to a large 5-year contract worth $160 million. It is a curious move but considering they did it the day before Lillard requested a trade, you can see why they might have done it. The team also matched a 3yr/$33 million offer sheet that was given to Matisse Thybulle to keep him around after they acquired him at last season’s trade deadline. They were not active in free agency but they were active in the trade market and I do not think they are done.
As a part of the Holiday trade the Blazers received Malcolm Brogdon, and with Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons on the roster, they do not need another guard in their rotation. Although they said they are going to keep him, I think the Blazers will eventually trade Brogdon. The 76ers are a team that could get involved, with James Harden yet again going to the Clippers in a 3 team trade. I am not going to make that fake trade again since I have written it a million times but it is one option. The Clippers could also get involved in Brogdon, with an offer of Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey, Brandon Boston Jr. and a second round pick. The Toronto Raptors were interested in Brogdon last summer before he was traded to the Celtics so they could get involved here too. An offer could be something like; Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young, and 2 second round picks. The last team I will mention is the Utah Jazz who need another guard on their team. They could send Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and 2 second rounders to the Blazers in exchange for Brogdon. Malcolm Brogdon is a player that is easy to trade and I think that the Blazer will trade him either before the season or early in the season.
The Blazers are resetting in a massive way and I like the place they are starting at. Deandre Ayton is a player who can make an All-Star team, and Robert Williams might be better so building that center room with the young guards they have is a really smart thing that they have done. However, the wing position worries me. Their starters are obvious, Grant and Thybulle are going to start at the 4 and the 3 respectively, but behind those guys, there is not a lot there. Rookies Kris Murray, Toumani Camara, and Rayan Rupert will have a chance to earn minutes, as will young players John Butler Jr., Jabari Walker, and Justin Minaya but those guys have proved nothing in the league and outside of those guys they have former lottery pick Kevin Knox who can hit 3s but has not shown a lot since being the 9th pick to the Knicks in the 2018 draft. They also could start 3 guard with a starting 5 of Henderson, Simons, Sharpe, Grant and Ayton, as their starting 5 bring Thybulle off of the bench and if they keep Brogdon, I think that is what they should do but I do not love that lineup and really think Portland should make another trade… have they considered Simons and is it really that crazy of an idea to move him?
The Portland Trail Blazers have entered their rebuild with 2 recent top 10 picks already on their roster and with a lot of depth at guard and center, they are in a really good spot. However, I do not expect them to compete for much of anything in 2024 because their players are young and their wings are unreliable. This is a building year for the Blazers but the future is exciting.
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