The Portland Trail Blazers may have the most questions in the NBA, owing to the fact that they have a lot of talent on their roster, but their current players can't seem to put it all together. Unfortunately for them, they've been missing Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for many games this season, which hasn't helped them win games they should have won. They're now 18-25, however many of their losses may be attributed to a lack of being healthy.
The Blazers are normally a team that can make some noise in the Western Conference when they're healthy but always fall short of their expectations. It's been difficult to watch the last few seasons because they've basically just let Damian Lillard go out there and try to do everything on his own. The front office hasn't done a good job of pairing him with players who can have an impact, and as a result, they haven't had the success that they had hoped for in previous years.
There have been some questions about whether Damian Lillard will be moved or not, but he has stated several times that he sees himself in Portland and wants to remain with the Blazers franchise. The fact is that if the Blazers do not believe he is a part of their future and are planning to rebuild, there is a strong probability he will be dealt at this year's deadline since they will have a lot of choices to choose from in his return.
Let's take a look at the three most pressing questions that the Blazers face in the remainder of the 2022 season.
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Blazers Questions 2022
3. Who is going to be moved and who isn't?
This will be the most important question for this Blazers team outside of whether or not they will rebuild. They have a lot of talent on their roster, and there is a potential that practically everyone may be traded at some point before or during the deadline. Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic, Larry Nance Jr, CJ McCollum, and Damian Lillard are all names that might be traded. It's understandable if the Blazers opt to move any of them since if they're trying to rebuild, many contending teams may overpay for these players, resulting in the Blazers receiving a few draft picks and some young talent in return.
It will be difficult for them to pick who they would trade, but it will be fascinating to see what they do. They have numerous possibilities on who they can trade, but if they do not make the correct choices, they will continue to struggle for the next few years, just as they have this season.
2. What is the Damian Lillard situation?
This is another difficult topic to answer since no one knows whether Portland will rebuild or go into a retool mode. If they are going to rebuild, it is only fair that they move Lillard so that he can have an opportunity to win an NBA championship. He is just too great a player for them to keep brushing him off and bringing in other guys to accomplish nothing. The front office has failed miserably in this circumstance, and they must be held responsible and should feel awful for putting him through what he has gone through.
If the circumstance changes and they go out and add guys that they believe would better fit this team, it makes sense to keep him. He is undoubtedly a top-10 player in the NBA, and if Portland can do a better job of surrounding him with talent that complements him, they will have a team with a strong chance of winning an NBA championship.
1. Will they head towards a rebuild or bring someone in?
This is one of the most intriguing issues about this team, but it should be resolved in the coming weeks as the trade deadline approaches. It would make sense for them to go into a rebuilding phase if they desire to do so because they will not have much success with their current lineup. Instead of rebuilding, they should consider going out and acquiring a couple of players that can help this team win right now. They definitely have the two players they need in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to take over a game, so if they can simply surround them with the right pieces, they won't need to rebuild.
They might also choose for a rebuild because they have so much talent on their roster, and many of their players will get back a big package. Many draft selections and young players are sometimes included in big packages, which will speed up the rebuild process.
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