{"id":79379,"date":"2024-05-30T16:23:03","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T20:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=79379"},"modified":"2024-05-30T16:23:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T20:23:03","slug":"2024-nba-off-season-preview-whats-next-for-the-trail-blazers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/30\/2024-nba-off-season-preview-whats-next-for-the-trail-blazers\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 NBA Off-Season Preview: What\u2019s Next For The Trail Blazers?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was the end of an era for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/06\/trail-blazers-shake-up-chauncey-billups-coaching-staff\/\" target=\"_self\">Trail Blazers<\/a> as the franchise\u2019s all-time leading scorer, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/PfG38Eh-UL0?si=7D9WKiLs2zofAaD5\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a>, was traded to the Bucks. After making the playoffs for eight straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2020-21, Portland missed out the following two years. Expectations weren\u2019t very high for the Trail Blazers in 2023-24 without their longtime face of the franchise.<\/p>\n<h2 data-_get-element-size=\"{&quot;w&quot;:364,&quot;h&quot;:114}\">2024 NBA Off-Season Preview: What\u2019s Next For The Trail Blazers?<\/h2>\n<h3>Trail Blazers Season Recap<\/h3>\n<p>Entering the season, the Trail Blazers fanbase&#8217;s main goal was to see the youth continue to develop. While the hope was that the team would be competitive, a postseason berth wasn\u2019t very realistic.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, much of their young talent was often not on the court. 24-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/simonan01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anfernee Simons<\/a> missed 36 games. 20-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sharpsh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shaedon Sharpe<\/a> missed 50. 25-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/aytonde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deandre Ayton<\/a> missed 27. While 19-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scoot Henderson<\/a>\u00a0missed the last games of the quartet (20), he had his rookie struggles. Selected third in the 2023 NBA Draft, Henderson shot just 38.5% from the field (32.5% on threes) and averaged 3.4 turnovers per contest.<\/p>\n<p>Portland finished the season 21-61, dead last in the Western Conference. There was a stark difference between their accuracy from the field compared to their opponents, especially from inside of the arc. The Trail Blazers shot a league-worst 49.4% on two-pointers (also a league-worst from three-point range) while their opponents shot 57.8% on two-pointers (again league-worst). Portland didn\u2019t have anyone to deter the opposition from going into the lane especially with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/williro04.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Williams<\/a> only playing six games.<\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Projected Cap Space and Draft Picks<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Over the cap<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Not only are the Trail Blazers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nba\/portland-trail-blazers\/cap\/_\/year\/2024\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">projected to be well over the cap<\/a>, but they are relatively close to the first luxury tax apron. They have four players Deandre Ayton, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/grantje01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jerami Grant<\/a>, Anfernee Simons, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brogdma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Malcolm Brogdon<\/a> who will make more than $22 million in 2024-25. For a team that was one of the league\u2019s worst last season, it seems unlikely they would be willing to pay luxury tax penalties.<\/p>\n<ul data-_get-element-size=\"{&quot;w&quot;:364,&quot;h&quot;:262}\">\n<li>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">7th and 14th overall Draft Picks<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Primary Targets<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/donovan-clingan-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donovan Clingan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/international\/players\/nikola-topic-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Topic<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/zach-edey-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach Edey<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/jakobe-walter-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ja\u2019Kobe Walter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/kelel-ware-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kel\u2019el Ware<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithty02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Smith<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Along with owning two lottery picks in this year\u2019s draft, Portland also has picks 34 and 40 in the second round. In an ideal world, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/03\/donvan-clingan-2024-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Clingan<\/a> would be an excellent fit for the Trail Blazers as a defensive anchor at center. There\u2019s a fairly good chance he will be gone by the time Portland is on the clock though. Edey is a huge man (listed at 7-4, 300 lbs.) who can certainly produce on the offensive end more than any other big man in the draft. The problem is, that he may be played off the court at times due to being a defensive liability. Ware visited the Trail Blazers on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blazersedge.com\/2024\/5\/29\/24166764\/blazers-nba-draft-rumors-workout-tyler-smith-kelel-ware-isaiah-crawford-alex-karaban-caleb-love\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Monday for a pre-draft workout<\/a>. The seven-footer has shown value as a rim protector as well as the ability to be a stretch five on offense.<\/p>\n<p>Smith is a 6-9 forward from the G-League Ignite that was also at Monday\u2019s pre-draft workout. Topic is a taller point guard at six-foot-six, which should enable him to be able to share the court at times with Henderson. Walter would bring value on the defensive end as a wing, something Portland could use more of.<\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pending Free Agents and Possible Departures<\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Free Agents\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bantoda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dalano Banton<\/a> (Club option)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownmo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Moses Brown<\/a> (Unrestricted)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/minayju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Justin Minaya<\/a> (Restricted)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/haganas01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ashton Hagans<\/a> (Restricted\/Two Way contract)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/badjiib01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ibou Badji<\/a> (Restricted\/Two Way contract)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>None of Portland\u2019s free agents should be a priority to bring back other than Banton. With how he performed at the end of last season, it should be a no-brainer to bring him back at his club option for slightly over $2.1 million. The 24-year-old posted averages of 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 30 games after being acquired in a trade with the Celtics.<\/p>\n<h4 data-_get-element-size=\"{&quot;w&quot;:364,&quot;h&quot;:28}\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" data-_get-element-size=\"{&quot;w&quot;:158.78726196289062,&quot;h&quot;:31}\">Trade pieces<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Malcolm Brogdon<\/li>\n<li>Jerami Grant<\/li>\n<li>Deandre Ayton<\/li>\n<li>Robert Williams<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thybuma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matisse Thybulle<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other than Henderson, Simons, and Sharpe, there is a pathway for anyone else on the roster to be dealt. The most likely might be Brogdon. The 31-year-old has one year left on his deal worth $22.5 million. He is just one season removed from winning Sixth Man of the Year with Boston. Brogdon would be highly valuable for contending teams looking for another guard. Grant would also be a highly coveted two-way wings perfect for a contender. Trading one or both of their larger contracts would make sense for Portland financially.<\/p>\n<h3 data-_get-element-size=\"{&quot;w&quot;:364,&quot;h&quot;:33}\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" data-_get-element-size=\"{&quot;w&quot;:301.7626647949219,&quot;h&quot;:43}\">Realistic Off-Season Targets<\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Free agents\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harriga01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gary Harris<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wisemja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Wiseman<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tateja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jae\u2019Sean Tate<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Again, it\u2019s highly unlikely that Portland will want to enter the luxury tax which limits what they can do in free agency. They clearly need shooting, or they can take a cheap flyer on someone who perhaps can show more with further development.<\/p>\n<p>While the 29-year-old Harris is a low-usage player, he connected on 39.2% of his three-point tries in his Magic tenure. \u00a0He can also provide more veteran leadership for a team lacking it other than Grant and Brogdon.<\/p>\n<p>The 23-year-old Wiseman was the second selection in the 2020 NBA Draft. While he has failed to come close to expectations, if Portland can sign him for cheap, maybe they will look into doing so. The 28-year-old Tate has been productive for the Rockets but often wasn\u2019t in the rotation last season. He has a club option for slightly more than $7 million which may be declined.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was the end of an era for the Trail Blazers as the franchise\u2019s all-time leading scorer, Damian Lillard, was traded to the Bucks. After making the playoffs for eight straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2020-21, Portland missed out the following two years. Expectations weren\u2019t very high for the Trail Blazers in 2023-24 without their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5060,"featured_media":79563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,1608,62],"tags":[49979,1559,1419,609,49265,4702,4600],"class_list":["post-79379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trailblazers","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-anfernee-simons","tag-deandre-ayton","tag-malcolm-brogdon","tag-nba-off-season-previews","tag-scoot-henderson","tag-shaedon-sharpe"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5060"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}