Damian Lillard’s pointed demands for an improved supporting cast have still yet to be addressed. It has been almost a year since the most loyal superstar in basketball threatened to leave Rip City, and all the Portland Trail Blazers have to show for it is the mere possibility of finally meeting his mandate.
CJ McCollum is gone, and so are Robert Covington and Norman Powell. Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller’s time with the Blazers was over almost before it started, a damning indictment of the marginal personnel moves made to placate a frustrated Lillard last summer. There’s not much team-wide encouragement to glean from one of the worst seasons in franchise history, either, even considering their 27-55 record was artificially deflated over the last two months of 2021-22.
Just that painful, arduous approach to team-building, though, marks a major departure from the front office arrogance that left Lillard mulling a trade demand. Portland was never going to truly level up in the Western Conference by maintaining the status quo. That much seemed obvious to pretty much everyone but Neil Olshey, who operated under the pressure of Lillard’s wavering as if the Blazers’ hands were tied.
It’s no accident that Portland tempered expectations heading into 2021-22, with players and coaches alike refusing to publicly acknowledge championship hopes at Media Day last September. The Blazers had grown stale after another dispiriting first-round playoff exit, and even Chauncey Billups knew that a change on the sidelines alone wouldn’t be enough for his new team to compete for a title. He indirectly admitted as much on multiple occasions during the season’s early going, lamenting Portland’s lack of size on the perimeter and overall defensive mettle.
Those weaknesses still exist.
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Anfernee Simons’ meteoric rise means the Blazers will start another 6-foot-3, offense-first guard alongside Lillard next season. Josh Hart and Justise Winslow at least hang their hats defensively, but hardly have the positional length necessary for to make up for Portland’s deficiencies elsewhere, especially against playoff competition. Jusuf Nurkic remains best-suited for a more conservative scheme on that side of the ball, too.
But Olshey’s ignominious departure paved the way for Joe Cronin to make the tough decisions his cocksure predecessor never would’ve, and the Blazers are much better off as a result — both now and going forward. The league’s most transformative trade deadline and brazen tanking efforts have justified Lillard’s recommitment to Rip City. Nine months after it seemed like he was gone, Portland is finally positioned to make the improvements he called for.
Still, they aren’t guaranteed to materialize.
The Blazers almost certainly won’t be a cap-space team come July, and this year’s free agent class is underwhelming anyway. Jerami Grant is their most frequently reported and realistic trade target, but the Detroit Pistons could still opt to keep him. If the New Orleans Pelicans advance past the play-in tournament, retaining their first-round pick, Portland’s own lottery pick could very well prove too pricey a cost for a player of Grant’s valuable but limited caliber.
Just the specter of their incumbent core being supplemented by an impact wing, mid-lottery rookie and signing with the mid-level exception provides room for lasting optimism the Blazers haven’t felt since 2019, though.
Lillard believes surgery, rehabilitation and some much-needed rest has him primed for some of the best basketball of his career. It’d be foolish to put a ceiling on Simons; athleticism alone makes him a better theoretical fit next to Lillard than McCollum. Nurkic remained Portland’s defensive bellwether this season and was a more dynamic scorer at times than any point since his devastating injury three years ago.
Nassir Little is a long way from his peak, but he has already proven himself as a viable rotation player. The two-way versatility and scalability of Hart and Winslow make them ideal role players for the active, energetic style Billups wants to play. Don’t sleep on the likes of Trendon Watford Keon Johnson and Brandon Williams building on opportunities afforded them late in their rookie season.
Finally, Portland is working from a blueprint that could make this team’s whole bigger than the sum of its parts. The Blazers don’t have the luxury of leaning on multiple superstars. It’ll take that type of cohesion and symbiosis for them to get where Lillard dreams of going in Rip City, no matter what Cronin does during another *crucial* offseason.
Either way, at least Portland’s sense of unknown provides a chance at real upward mobility. It’s just a shame the Blazers, forced into tanking by Olshey's mismanagement, had to waste a year of Lillard's prime to get it.
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