Portland Trail Blazers Offseason Outlook
As the NBA Finals rage on between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, there are 28 other teams preparing for a summer of unpredictability and big moves. Over the next three weeks, we’ll be taking a look at each Northwest Division team’s offseason and crafting a path to success for them entering the 2024-25 season. That journey begins with the bottom finisher in the division, the Portland Trail Blazers. After trading away franchise legend Damian Lillard last summer at his request, Portland did everything they could to try to remain competitive, but failed to do so, going a measly 21-61, good for worst in the Western Conference and tied for third worst in the entire NBA. Here’s how the team can turn things around.
Image from Blazer’s Edge
Try to Get Some Money Off the Books
As the current roster stands, the Blazers are more than $53 million over the cap and are just under $10 million away from the first apron penalty. Being in this situation somewhat ties the hands of general manager Joe Cronin as he looks to add pieces to the team. As is the case with many small market teams, the Blazers have only paid the luxury tax a few times throughout their history and aren’t likely to buck that trend anytime soon, meaning that in all likelihood, they will be looking to dump salary this summer through trades, especially when considering they will need to sign their first-round lottery pick in this year’s draft. Trading away Malcolm Brogdon’s expiring contract would help, relieving the team of his $22.5 million deal. Additionally, the team has been rumored to be shopping the services of Mattisse Thybulle, whose $11.5 million player option next summer could be seen as more of a hindrance than a help. Regardless, the team will need to shed some money this summer because they just are not good enough to justify the amount of money being spent by ownership to keep the team together.
Image from ClutchPoints
Invest Around the Two-Man Game
The era of “big threes” is over in the NBA thanks to increasing contract sizes and the ever-feared second apron. The teams that do try to form the aforementioned super-teams are left with a financial headache if the team does not bring home a championship, which no “big three” has done since Kevin Durant led the stacked Golden State Warriors to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. Instead, many teams are looking to copy the Denver Nuggets’ recipe of success; one superstar paired with another All-Star caliber teammate to lead the team while the rest of the cap is spent on high-end role players, striking a delicate balance between remaining competitive without breaking the bank. While it may be far too early to tell for sure, the Blazers arguably have two players that fit this mold already under contract in Scoot Henderson and DeAndre Ayton, both of whom showed improvement in the back half of the season. Both need to improve their defense and efficiency from the field, but both are also under contract for at least the next two seasons, giving Portland plenty of time to see if they can become a duo that can rival some of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Image from Blazer’s Edge
Scoot’s Development
As mentioned earlier, Henderson grew more comfortable with playing on an NBA level night in and night out as he navigated through his first season. If he is going to be the franchise centerpiece moving forward, then management needs to work on surrounding him with players that give him the best chance to succeed? How, you ask? By shipping out either Malcolm Brogdon or Anfernee Simons to relieve the log jam at the point guard position and bring in shooters who can improve the league-worst 34.5% three point shooting that plagued the team all season long. The Blazers have been linked to shooters around the league, including Klay Thompson, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and others. Until he gets his own shot in order and becomes a more efficient player outside of the paint, Henderson needs players around him that can space the floor and give him larger driving windows he can drive through so he can get inside and either score or facilitate for others, which became one of his biggest strengths in the second half of the season.
