Despite putting up their worst season in recent memory, the Portland Trail Blazers have been featured in the new cycle and rumors mill more often this offseason than in years past. This is because, for the first time in a long time, the future of the Blazers is completely up in the air. They currently only have nine players with deals for 2022-2023, two of which are non-guaranteed. Of those nine, only Damian Lillard should feel secure about his future in Portland — should he still want one, of course.
With mystery comes intrigue. The Blazers could lean into their youth movement, opting to re-sign Anfernee Simons and build around him, Nassir Little, and their seventh-overall pick in the upcoming draft. Or Portland could push all of their chips into the table in an attempt to surround Dame with a contending roster.
Digging through Trail Blazers rumors: Phil Knight, Mike Schmitz, Deandre Ayton, and more
Fans, analysts, and pundits alike have tried their hand at tasseography and futurism with varying predictions for what direction the Blazers will be taking and what their roster will be like at the start of next season. While only newly minted General Manager Joe Cronin — and perhaps not even him — will know for sure what path he plans on taking, Portland has provided plenty of ammunition for speculation and overall content thus far.
The Blazers have had quite a busy start to their summer thus far, and I have yet to take my turn to opine on these rumors. Even with the NBA playoffs, and now Finals, ongoing, there has been no shortage of news, speculation, or analyses, so let’s dive into some of the biggest stories so far.