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Another NBA offseason, another summer filled with question marks surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers as an organization. Ever since they made the Western Conference Finals in 2019, the Blazers have been on a steady decline, leading many to ask the question of whether or not superstar guard Damian Lillard would request a trade.
Well, that moment has finally come, as Lillard made his intention to leave Portland clear to the organization at the start of July when Lillard officially requested a trade. The Miami Heat have long been favored to land Lillard in an offseason trade, yet no progress has been made and nothing appears to be imminent as we head towards the dog days of August.
With trade speculation involving the Blazers star ongoing, though, and Portland looking to find ways to improve, they decided to make a slight roster change on Friday. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Portland is waiving guard Jeenathan Williams, who held a nonguaranteed contract for the 2023-24 season.
Going undrafted in 2022 out of Buffalo, Williams ended up signing with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. Near the end of the 2022-23 season and with the Blazers dealing with various injuries, Williams signed a contract with Portland and played in five total games, averaging 10.6 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 61.5 percent from the floor.
The Trail Blazers needed to make a decision on his contract before it became fully guaranteed on August 1, hence why the Blazers made the move on Friday. While he did make the most of his time in Portland, Williams now finds himself as a free agent as a result of the Blazers waiving him.
Following this transaction, the Blazers now have 12 players under contract for next season, leading to a lot of speculation as to how they will fill their three remaining roster spots. Although there is no confirmation on this, it is not crazy to assume that Portland is opening up some roster spots in order to facilitate a possible trade involving Lillard.
Regardless of if Lillard begins the season in Portland, this franchise will be prioritizing their youth and long-term potential. Second-year guard Shaedon Sharpe and rookie first-round pick Scoot Henderson are the backcourt of the future for the Blazers, and both players will figure to hold key roles during the upcoming 2023-24 season.
At this point, it seems inevitable that Lillard will be on the move over the course of the upcoming months, and this recent move to waive Williams just adds more fuel to this fire.
