Pre-Draft Outlook
It seems like the Blazers are at a crossroads for the third straight summer. Damian Lillard just had the best season of his career in regard to points per game and efficiency, but the Blazers were 27-31 when he played and finished 13th the Western Conference. The Blazers made additions to help their defense last summer and still finished in the bottom five on defense for the fourth straight season. Lillard turns 33 in July and his supporting cast seems unfit to push Portland back to relevancy any time soon.
The Way To Go
If the Blazers had landed the No. 1 pick, they certainly would have kept it and tried to bridge the present with the future. But at No. 3, they have a much more interesting decision to make. Another veteran in the rotation would make them more competitive, but they’d still be another step or two from real contention. Keeping the pick (along with the promising Shaedon Sharpe) would obviously help them in the post-Lillard years, whenever those begin.
— John Schuhmann
Here’s a quick look at who the Portland Trail Blazers have under contract, who is a free agent this summer and who they added in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Under Contract
G: Keon Johnson
G: Damian Lillard
G: Shaedon Sharpe
G: Anfernee Simons
G: Jeenathan Williams
F/G: Nassir Little
F: Trenton Watford
F: Jabari Walker
F/C: Drew Eubanks
C: Jusuf Nurkic
Free Agents
G/F: Matisse Thybulle (restricted)
F/G: Cam Reddish (restricted)
F/G: Justise Winslow (unrestricted)
F: John Butler Jr. (two-way)
F: Jerami Grant (unrestricted)
F: Kevin Knox II (team option)
F/C: Drew Eubanks (unrestricted)
C: Ibou Badji (two-way)
> 2023 Free Agent Tracker
Last Year’s Draft
2022: Shaedon Sharpe (7), Gabriele Procida (36)**, Ismael Kamagate (46)*, Jabari Walker (57)
* = acquired via trade
** = traded in draft-night deal
*** = traded in offseason deal