Mailbag: Trail Blazers’ focus on a future core vs. future trades
By David MacKay
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The Trail Blazers’ focus needs to be developing current players for the future core. That being said, not everyone with a guaranteed contract in Portland this year is going to be a part of that. The Trail Blazers seemingly scattershot acquisition of new talent will only yield a few concrete contributors, but that is not a bad place to start from. Those who develop but do not fit can be traded for equal value as their own increases; those who fit but do not develop can be shed when the team outgrows them; those who fit and develop can be the future.
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Consider the Houston Rockets. In the 2012 off-season, they completely overhauled their roster, keeping only Chandler Parsons, Marcus Morris, and Patrick Patterson. Among the players they acquired were James Harden, Omer Asik, and Jeremy Lin. Each had potential to be something great. The Rockets added other players too, but not all of them worked out.
As the next couple seasons unfolded, Houston shed players here and there, but also added a few as they went; most notably Dwight Howard. The nucleus continued to grow as younger players like Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones came into their own. Meanwhile, guys like Asik, who developed but did not fit, were traded for future assets. The Rockets kept strengthening their core and trading up where possible. In a few short years, they were contenders.
Now, the Trail Blazers’ situation is not entirely the same, but it is similar. They have completely overhauled their roster, but instead of trading for a new centerpiece, they already have one in Damian Lillard. Each of the players that have been placed around him is there because they have potential. Those who realize it will become staples of the team’s success. Those who do not will become instruments of progress through further trade where doable.
In the Portland market, there won’t be any Howard-esque free agent signings to bring the Trail Blazers back to relevance so suddenly, yet they stand at the edge of interesting nonetheless. They will try to develop all players with the intent of inclusion. That will be their focus. However, as you suggested, they may benefit from trading some pieces as they become more valuable. That is something that cannot necessarily be planned for at this stage, as most of the players remain unknown quantities from a chemistry standpoint.
The way I see it, the front office has to step back and take stock of their assets after every season of this multi-year rebuilding process in order to hone in on the team’s new identity. As key components of the roster become more apparent, extraneous pieces will become expendable. This year in particular will help determine who is who in the evolving hierarchy, and so must be dedicated to development of each player as if they are all in it for the long haul. From there, accurate decisions can be made regarding where and when to focus on trades that could most improve the core.
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