Over the years, many stars played in the Portland Trail Blazers and most of them left great memories. Currently, the franchise only has one roster spot available and without taking a look at the salary cap space, it’s time to look at which of these legends could make an immediate impact on the team today.
The Blazers have 14 guaranteed contracts and only one small forward (Nassir Little). According to Basketball Reference, Justise Winslow played 77% of his court time as a power forward and 23% as a center so he is off the chart.
Portland Trail Blazers legendary players
Because of this, Bob Gross, one of Portland’s most important players in the 1977 championship, especially in the Finals, would fit in well. He averaged 17.5 points against the Sixers, and he would bring a lot to the team today. His ability to do a little bit of everything on offense and defense was always highly valued.
The Blazers need defensive specialists and you can imagine what Bob would have been like paired with Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II on defense. Jack Ramsay understood that. He said so in an interview for Oregon Live.
"“He was a complete player. He did everything well. He defended, he ran, he shot, he passed, he moved without the ball. He ran the offense, his part of the offense. You could put it in the bag; he was going to be where he should be. He was a great player.”"
And if you have to talk about defense, we have to say that Jusuf Nurkic and Drew Eubanks are the only two centers on the team. Obviously, some help on that end never hurts, and Mychal Thompson would be an ideal option to cover the paint.
Thompson, from the Bahamas, went on to average 2.2 blocks in the 1980-81 season playing for the Blazers and was always a threat on the boards. In fact, Bleacher Report ranks him as the eighth-best player in franchise history.
At the same time, a little bit of offense never hurt anybody, and considering how lightly loaded the Blazers are on small forwards, the legendary Brandon Roy could be the perfect solution.
His ability to show up in the clutch and light it up with ease allowed him to be one of the most important and beloved players in franchise history. He had outstanding IQ, size, and defensive skills.
Clearly, not only those legends could help the franchise a ton. Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, and many more would also implement their skills in the system.
However, the way the team is today, these three players are ideal combinations like sauce and cheese on pizza dough.
How many games would this hypothetical team win?