When was the last time you worried about the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason? Yeah, me neither.
Alright, that was a leading question considering the state of the team and some outstanding decisions that can be made. But now that the Trail Blazers have started training camp and with preseason play slated to begin just a week from now, there’s palpable excitement and something to be said about how the offseason played out.
Portland’s Summer of Zen
The closest thing to worry came during the 2024 NBA Draft, when the talking points of a flat draft added to a league-wide perplexity as to who ought to go first. There was no pinpoint nerve of anxiety as there was last summer, no central question or outcome with dour repercussions for a franchise so attached to a player-turned-icon that the union seemed almost psychological as it was capital.
After such a tumultuous separation, the relative buzz of draft day decision trees—if team x picks player a or makes trade b, then Portland can pick player c or make trade d—had all the clamor of birdsong in Forest Park. The wind of what-have-yous, could-bes and let’s-sees are an early autumn breeze, refreshing and a reminder of the change.
Yeah, it’s not a contender, but it can still entertain. The Trail Blazers have intriguing young players to watch in Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara; they traded for a multiskilled wing in Deni Avdija to shore up the rotation; Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton are both entering their primes with more to prove; and the wily, wiry veteran Jerami Grant still remains in Portland, confounding both national pundits and local fans alike.
Is the team set up to flail around for 82 games for a higher-probability chance at the first overall pick in 2025? No, not really.
If they end up last in the Western Conference, it will likely occur as a result of the conference having transformed steadily from a 10-team bloodbath to a 15-team bloodbath. The Trail Blazers are—on paper!—head and shoulders above the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards in terms of sheer talent. As of right now, Tankathon has the Trail Blazers slotted for the sixth pick.
Moreover, this is a reminder that sometimes the next big thing is not a potential first overall pick, but the seventh overall pick accruing more and more in-game experience for two years.
But I’m not naming names…
Cling Kong Has Come to Rip City
After the aforementioned muddle of sources, reports, counter reports and more misdirection than a sideways glance from a horse fly playing poker (credit to Cheshire for that one), the Trail Blazers selected Donovan Clingan from the University of Connecticut.
The back-to-back national championship will man the middle in Portland. It didn’t always seem that way, however, as rumours flew that the Atlanta Hawks were considering him for the first overall selection and the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly worked phone lines furiously to move up during draft day.
The young pivot immediately began turning heads in summer league. He had immediate noticeable impact on the defensive end, regularly helping Portland close deficits or extend leads in Las Vegas each time he clocked back on to the floor. Most impressive was Clingan’s ability to position in anticipation of a drive and affect shots. Simply by being on the floor, Clingan was a rim deterrent.
But then there were the moments where he showed the whole package; sending a laser pass from the high key to a wing cutting behind the defense; starting the break and then finishing it with a three on the other end; or sprinting from the halfway line after a backcourt turnover and erasing any hope of an easy bucket.
| Donovan Clingan Summer League Stats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | MIN | PTS | FG% | REB | AST | BLK |
| 4 | 25.4 | 9.0 | 35.7 | 12.3 | 2.0 | 4.3* |
*Summer League record.
Most alluring were those threes—both attempts and makes. The big man only made 23.1% of his attempts from the arc, dragging down his overall field goal pecentage. But his form was there (if slightly mechanical) and easily replicable.
The big question is how Clingan fits into a center rotation flush with options; Clingan will likely figure into the bottom of a rotation that already features Deandre Ayton, a hopefully healthy Robert Williams III (hold on, I need to find a wood surface) and Duop Reath. There’s been a buzz about Clingan and Ayton sharing the floor at the frontcourt. It’s a theory and one that will need results to justify the position that the Blazers can keep both.
Right now, if Clingan pans out, he likely replaces Ayton in the middle. Even from a money standpoint, it makes sense. But this is a good problem to have; just two years ago, the center rotation was Jusuf Nurkic and Drew Eubanks. The Blazers are so far beyond competitive at that critical position now, it’s almost laughable to consider it a “problem.”
Cronin Scores a Deni’s Grand Slam
The Trail Blazers also found a starting caliber small forward during the 2024 draft, acquiring Deni Avdija from the Wizards in a trade.
This is the first time that Blazer fans can deign say as much since Nicolas Batum was traded for pennies to the Charlotte Hornets. Avdija brings a secondary playmaker and potential floorspacer skillset and the Blazers desperately needed last year. The Trail Blazers now found the exact wing that they needed during Lillard’s tenure.
The contract is also of such great value, it actually puts the Blazers at a disadvantage to keep him; the money descends from by about $4 million in 2026-27. The CBA limits the Blazers as to what they can offer. If Avdija plays himself to an all-star level, the Blazers will only be able to offer a four-year contract at $22.25 million per year in unrestricted free agency.
| Deni Avdija Contract | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 |
| $15.625M | $14.375M | $13.125M | $11.875M |
Avdija is also the latest notch in the “asset flowchart” one could make from the Damian Lillard trade (yeah, that’s right, we’re mentioning it again). Malcolm Brogdon, the 2024 Golden State pick and the second worst of Portland’s 2029 first round swap with Boston and Milwaukee all come from the trade Suns-Buck-Celtics leg of deals. Another deal involving Robert Williams III may also be in the cards this year, further maturing the trade’s impact. The Trail Blazers now found the exact wing that they needed during Lillard’s tenure.
Harrumphing aside, at least Avdija can help Scoot Henderson push the ball up the floor, support Deandre Ayton on the boards and take some defensive assignments that might otherwise Jerami Grant. Is he the right piece at the right time to take this team to another level? Not in the slightest, but the Trail Blazers’ front office have clearly emphasized quality scouting over a massive quantity of assets in order to build this team.
Trading two picks for Avdija represents the Trail Blazers’ bet on using their resources to add quality players with high upside rather than sitting on picks with the clutch of a jealous dragon.
A Perfectly Balanced Roster, As It Should Have Been
With Avdija and Clingan, Cronin and company continue to sculpt a more balanced roster.
Of the 15 NBA contracts, six are guards, five are forwards and four are centers. On a surface-level, the guard rotation is still chock full of options; Simons, Henderson, Sharpe along with Matisse Thybulle, Rayan Rupert and Dalano Banton all present plenty of variety for Chauncey Billups should injuries overrun the rotation. But it’s not an overwhelming set of options—there is no sense that the Trail Blazers will be plugging players out of position as a feature.
Portland now has a forward rotation that makes sense. Regardless of talent level, the Trail Blazers can start Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija while giving Toumani Camara and Jabari Walker more space to develop without the pressure of starting. In case of injury, coach Billups can lean on Matisse Thybulle, Kris Murray or even Rayan Rupert to play spot minutes at the small forward. This is the first true forward rotation since 2010-2011, when LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Gerald Wallace took the Rose Garden floor.
| Portland Trail Blazers Depth Chart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Anfernee Simons | Shaedon Sharpe | Deni Avdija | Jerami Grant | Deandre Ayton |
| Scoot Henderson | Matisse Thybulle | Toumani Camara | Jabari Walker | Robert Williams III |
| Dalano Banton | Rayan Rupert | Kris Murray | Donovan Clingan | |
| Duop Reath | ||||
It’s also the first time the franchise has featured an adequately-sized center rotation since the days of Arvydas Sabonis. Billups will be able to shift around Ayton, Williams, Clingan and Duop Reath. That’s huge, and it supports Clingan’s (among others) development to have a rotation that he needs to break into rather than being given roles without role models. As much as certain subsets of demand stripping to the studs and just start Henderson, Sharpe and Clingan, it’s not the philosophy of management.
Cronin reiterated at his media day press conference that building the talent base of the team is key to this rebuild. Their methods have proven to be iterative. Pick the best player available in the draft, find smart trades and build a new continuity.
All the better that aside from Deni Avdija and Clingan, everyone else is returning from the 2023-2024 season. Thirteen players can all point to a summer of work apart and together knowing they would be returning to Portland in October. This may not translate to a play-in team, but it will translate to a more cohesive basketball team.
Grateful For the Big Red Deadhead
I’ve already written about Bill Walton’s impact as a basketball player, broadcaster and public figure. But it would be remiss not to mention that the Big Red Deadhead’s passing shook the organization. On the merit of championships alone, Walton’s impact places him as the Greatest Trail Blazer ever.
But that’s a debate for another time. The Trail Blazers announced they will honor Big Red on March 9 against the Detroit Pistons; a bit odd considering Walton played for the Boston Celtics or won the inaugural Larry O’Brien against the Philadelphia 76ers. Those teams would make more sense.
No matter, the Trail Blazers will also wear tie-dye bands over their right shoulder to honor the World’s Biggest Deadhead all season-long. A traditional, admirable gesture to a franchise icon. While championship is not in the cards, some crisp passing and a win against the 76ers would be a fine tribute.
The Trail Blazers Cut the Cable
The biggest win of the offseason has to be the franchise cutting ties with ROOT Sports and partnering with the Sinclair Media group to provide over-the-air public broadcasts.
The Trail Blazers will broadcast all non-exclusive (that is, nationally broadcast games) on KATU and other affiliate stations of the Rip City Television Network. The plan in Portland is for KATU to broadcast on their 2.2 channel (Charge!) until January 1, 2025, when broadcasts will switch over to 2.1, their Univision channel that reaches YouTube TV, among others. It’s a complex situation, and the franchise has a page on their website to explain where viewers can find games across the state.
For those who want to cut the cable completely, the Trail Blazers have resurrected BlazerVision as an alternative. It’s available through the NBA’s official website, and can be streamed on SmartTVs, computers, phones, etc. any device with the official application available. Subscribers to the service will also have the option to select two tickets to a game of their choice among five select match-ups. Season and half-season ticket holders will also receive a free voucher for BlazerVision.
Altogether, this is a big move for a franchise that has often been maligned over the past two decades for making the team harder and harder to view. Consecutive deals with Comcast and ROOT Sports restricted the viewership pool, as other broadcasters refused to carry either network. The Trail Blazers first experimented with direct-to-consumer services in the mid-2010s and were reportedly keen to try again after their deal with Comcast expired.
However, league TV rules and a calcified regional sports network industry prevented the Trail Blazers from moving forward. That changed in 2023 when Bally Sports went bankrupt and rivals such as the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns both moved to OTA and subscription-based solutions. The tragedy of the situation was timing. Had the Trail Blazers’ agreement with Comcast expired in 2023, they would have likely been among the forefront of smaller market teams pushing direct-to-consumer options.
As it is, this is a monumental shift in business that constitutes the biggest win for the Trail Blazers as a product. More people watching the team, even if the pieces are still in development and not winning many games, means more interest in the team. It will be easier to market the franchise as marquee matchups against the star-studded Lakers, Celtics, Mavericks, Bucks, Nuggets and more bring eyes to the team and translate into ticket sales.
Even more importantly, it points to a season that is opening up on good vibes. As crucial a victory as any for a franchise in transition.
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The Casual Ramble 