The Portland Trail Blazers have had an active offseason as they retool their roster around Damian Lillard. Lillard has committed to playing for the Blazers throughout his career despite the constant push from the media to leave.

He is a very loyal player, and Portland has done a great job this offseason putting together a quality roster around him. The Blazers sold at the deadline, including trading C.J. McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans. This opened up more opportunities to improve the team, and they have done an excellent job.

While Lillard didn't get a co-star, he has a well-rounded roster around him now. The Western Conference is filled with quality teams, as young teams rise up along with the established contenders and teams looking to bounce back. The Blazers are a team looking to become a playoff team once again after missing the postseason. They won't be the only team, as the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers missed out on the playoffs as well.

It will be a hard battle for teams in the West to make it to the playoffs.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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With that said, here are the full 2022 NBA offseason grades for the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Blazers 2022 NBA Offseason Grades

Draft: B+

The Blazers had two selections in the 2022 NBA draft and made quality selections. With the 7th pick in the draft, Portland selected Shaedon Sharpe, who projects to be a quality wing. Sharpe is a bit of a mystery as he didn't play any games for Kentucky. However, his talent level is high, and he has the potential to grow into a star with the Blazers.

In the second round, Portland selected Jabari Walker out of Colorado. Walker played two seasons in college and could grow into a rotational piece for Portland. Last season, he averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three.

Sharpe did suffer a small labral tear in his left shoulder, but it will not require surgery, and he should be ready to go for training camp. These rookies could make an impact in their first season.

Free Agency: A- 

Portland's free agency has gone under the radar as they did great work to improve the roster. They re-signed restricted free agent guard Anfernee Simons to a four-year $100 million deal. Simons is coming off a breakout campaign, where he averaged 17.3 points while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from downtown. Simons will look to follow up his best season by solidifying himself as a star.

Portland also brought back center Jusuf Nurkic on a four-year deal worth $70 million. Nurkic is a walking double-double and has been a quality center for the Blazers over the years. His chemistry with Lillard will help continue to bring value to the team.

The Blazers also retained Drew Eubanks on a minimum deal to play the backup center role. Eubanks played 22 games for them, averaging 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 64.6 percent. He will be a solid backup center for Portland.

A high-quality role player that the Blazers were able to add was Gary Payton II. Payton II had a fantastic season for the Golden State Warriors last season. He was a pivotal contributor to the Warriors winning the title. His two-way play will help the Blazers improve defensively, and he is explosive on offense.

The biggest move was extending Lillard on a long-term deal to stay in Portland. Lillard agreed to a two-year $122 million extension. This will keep him with the Blazers for at least four more seasons, with a player option for a fifth season.

Overall, it was a good free agency for the team.

Trades: A

Perhaps the best running mate that the Blazers acquired for Lillard was via trade. Portland received Jerami Grant and the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate for the draft rights to Gabriele Procida, a 2025 first-round pick (via Milwaukee), and two second-round picks.

While Grant didn't play a full season, he played well in the 47 games he appeared in. Grant is a two-way forward that will benefit the Blazers on both ends of the floor. Last season, he averaged 19.2 points per game while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from behind the arc.

This was a phenomenal trade for Portland as it didn't cost much and got a player that fits well around Lillard.

Overall Offseason Grade: A

The Trail Blazers absolutely killed it this offseason, and this team could make some noise in the playoffs.