Many people within the NBA community are hopeful for the Portland Trail Blazers’ future. They finally returned to the postseason after five years away, and they are now under Tom Dundon’s ownership group. Despite all of these promising signs, Portland’s postseason run shows they still have big problems.
The Trail Blazers’ Future Is Not As Bright As One Might Think
Four games into the Portland Trail Blazers’ first postseason in five years, they are losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, they are down 3-1 in the series, as they managed to steal Game 2 in San Antonio. Despite that promising result, the Blazers have shown a lot of deficiencies within the organization.
Deni Avdija is the team’s resident All-Star, but there are some troubling signs with him in the long-term future. He is an excellent player, but he has some pretty big weaknesses, which are quite evident against the Spurs. Apart from his play, the team lacks potential superstars, which is a stark contrast to San Antonio’s roster.
The Blazers’ Future Is Not Clear-Cut
Games 3 and 4 were golden opportunities for the Trail Blazers. They could have had a 3-1 lead over the Spurs right now if they had not choked their leads away. In both games, they led by 17 at some point, but they blew it in both third quarters.
Across the series, they have had some promising performances from Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday. Aside from them, Robert Williams III and Avdija in Games 1 and 4, no one has stepped up. They have established some big leads, but when push comes to shove, the Blazers crumble.
One game was w/o Wemby
This game was with Wemby
you can't make this up lol pic.twitter.com/vT0hjcEdXq
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 26, 2026
Scoot’s performances from Games 1 to 3 showed he has potential, but Game 4 was disastrous. In 27 minutes, he couldn’t score, which was surprising because he had arguably been Portland’s best player in the series.
Apart from Henderson, other young Blazers have also struggled. Donovan Clingan is Portland’s franchise center, but he has mostly been a non-factor. His size and lack of mobility have hurt him in the matchup against Victor Wembanyama.
Shaedon Sharpe has been good when he plays, but acting head coach Tiago Splitter is giving him limited minutes. It might be because he’s still recovering from the injury, but that is yet another disappointment for the Blazers’ future.
Dundon’s Ownership Has Already Shown Worrying Signs
The Trail Blazers are undergoing significant changes. Apart from Splitter taking over Chauncey Billups, they have also changed ownership. After years of the Allen family handling the Trail Blazers, they sold it to Tom Dundon’s ownership group.
The organization was on a promising trajectory with Dundon’s big plans. Unfortunately, Dundon’s time as owner has been tumultuous so far. There are reports of him making the staff check out of hotels early, low-balling potential coaches, and more. This even includes the lack of t-shirts at Moda Center, a common practice for most teams in the postseason.
New Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon is reportedly enforcing strict cost-cutting measures, per @jwquick:
Staff required to check out of hotels by 12:30 PM to avoid late fees
Team masseuse denied a room for pregame treatment
Two-way players not allowed to travel for playoff games… pic.twitter.com/tvk5E2JsOl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 21, 2026
Dundon’s time with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes has been impressive. He made significant changes, as he has done with Portland so far. However, the Hurricanes have been one of the most consistent teams in that league. Sadly for Dundon, the NHL and NBA are not at all the same.
To win in the NBA, spending is a big part of that. If he is already being cheap this early on, that is not a promising sign for the Blazers’ future. It is also a bad look for players and their agents, as they might not want to play for Portland.
Portland’s Postseason Run Is Not Convincing Enough
In the past four games of Portland’s postseason run, they have shown some promise. Henderson and Holiday have done well in the backcourt, and Williams looks like he’s in prime form. Unfortunately, they and Avdija have been the only players to truly step up to the plate.
It has not been a convincing run to keep going in the future. Damian Lillard will return for the 2026-27 season, so they will get a tried and true superstar. Sadly, Lillard will likely struggle since he is coming off a major Achilles tendon injury.
Players like Clingan and Toumani Camara have high expectations because they had solid regular-season campaigns. At the same time, they are foundational pieces for the Blazers. If they can’t perform in the postseason, that is not a good look.
Moving forward, the Blazers need to make adjustments if they want to succeed. It’ll be a tough test for the Blazers’ future, but they have the tools to prove they’re worth the hype.
Featured Image: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
