The forward slots have been identified as the Portland Trail Blazers‘ most glaring hole in the roster. They’ve added a few in-house options that could serviceably fill in as starters or backups in Josh Hart and Justise Winslow, but there’s always room for improvement. Joe Ingles could also provide another option as Portland will retain his Bird rights this summer.
While Hart and Winslow have impressed in their brief time with the Trail Blazers, neither of those veterans provides the top-end scoring punch that has been missing in the Blazers’ forward section of the depth chart for years.
3 power forwards the Portland Trail Blazers should target in 2022 NBA Free Agency
The upcoming 2022 NBA Draft is a unique one, as perhaps the top-three prospects all project to play the four-spot, at least in their rookie years. Any one of Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, or Duke’s Paolo Banchero would be a welcome addition to the Trail Blazers starting lineup and bring star potential to a frontline that’s been lacking top-end talent since LaMarcus Aldridge made his way to San Antonio.
While General Manager Joe Cronin may look to the draft or the trade market to address this need, he shouldn’t overlook the available talent that will hit free agency this off-season. There are a few names out there this summer that could bring much-needed two-way play and size, particularly at the power forward position.
Even if the Portland Trail Blazers land a substantial forward through trade or in the draft, any of these following options would be a worthwhile signing for depth.