When Joe Cronin became the interim general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 3, 2021, many fans were glad to see Neil Olshey go. Since being named interim, and then full-time GM, Cronin has made several moves to try and remedy some of Olshey’s wreckage.
Let’s talk about the three best moves, two worst, and one that’s a little too early to tell, that have been made by Cronin since becoming the Trail Blazers’ GM.
His first was the worst: The Norman Powell trade
The first major move that Cronin made after becoming GM was trading Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers for Keon Johnson, Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, and a 2025 second-round pick via Detroit.
This move was suspect at the time and hasn’t aged well. While it did open up cap space that was used in some of his best moves, Cronin’s return in the trade hasn’t panned out. With Damian Lillard’s competitive window in mind, keeping talented veterans is important.
Powell has averaged 16.6 points per game this season while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 41 percent from three. He’s the sixth man on a Clippers team that is likely playoff bound. The Blazers would love to have Powell off the bench to spell Lillard and Anfernee Simons.
Covington has averaged 16.4 minutes per game and has provided the same defense that he’s built a career on while mostly playing the four position. The Blazers’ fourth-worst defense in the league would welcome Covington’s abilities.
Winslow has played just 29 of 54 games so far this season, and while he’s full of potential, injuries have plagued him since entering the league in 2015.
Johnson has gotten more playing time with the injury to Simons and hasn’t looked like a player that would be on most playoff-contending teams. He’s shooting just 35.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three in 35 games this season.
Bledsoe played 54 games for the Blazers in 2021 and performed in such a way that he is being paid $1.3 million per year from 2022-2025 to not play for them anymore.
Unless the 2025 second-rounder becomes the next Draymond Green, the Blazers would much rather have the talent of Powell and Covington than any of the pieces they got in return. At the very least, Cronin should have been able to get more for Powell.
Cronin’s second deal was one of his best moves so far
Just eight days after his worst move thus far, Cronin traded C.J. McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell to the New Orleans Pelicans for Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, a 2027 second-round pick, Didi Louzada, a 2022 first-round pick via New Orleans, and a 2026 second-round pick (more favorable of NOP or POR pick).
This trade was about moving McCollum’s $33,333,333 cap hit to create space for the Blazers to find another star to pair with Lillard. The Lillard-McCollum backcourt duo was a fan favorite and helped the Blazers make the Western Conference finals, but it was clear to all Blazers fans that the duo wasn’t going to be able to carry the team any further than that.
In making this trade, Cronin was able to ship off McCollum’s bad contract, along with Nance Jr. who didn’t fit, for Josh Hart and a first-round pick. Hart was later part of a trade that looks better by the day, and although that first-round pick didn’t come to fruition in 2022, it’s available in 2025 – so long as the Milwaukee Bucks don’t get a top-4 pick.
Cronin gets potential all-star Jerami Grant
It could be said the cap space gained in the McCollum trade helped make the trade for Jerami Grant more realistic as the Blazers can, and have, offered him a max contract extension.
Cronin was able to get a budding star in Grant for a 2025 first-round pick, (top-4 protected), a 2026 second-round pick (from the Pelicans trade), and a 2022 second-round pick (No. 36).
Grant has scored 20.5 ppg while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from three. He provides the length and defensive ability that the Blazers need. If Cronin can extend Grant, this trade looks even better.
Gary Payton II was never a good fit
Hindsight is 20/20, and while Cronin was able to flip Gary Payton II for five second-round picks, the three-year, $26.15 million contract Cronin handed out looks pretty bad.
GP2 played just 15 games with the Blazers because of a core muscle injury. While the idea was that he would provide much-needed experience and defense off the bench, the Blazers needed size, not more guards.
This contract never made a lot of sense but, fortunately, Cronin was able to move on from GP2 and get some draft capital in return.
Shaedon Sharpe was a draft day slam dunk
Cronin’s best move so far was drafting Shaedon Sharpe, a player with the potential to become a future star.
After the Blazers’ disappointing 2021-2022 season, they were primed to have a lottery pick. While the Blazers didn’t get as lucky as the Sacramento Kings, who moved up from the seventh pick to the fourth pick in the NBA draft lottery, they did make a strong pick at No. 7.
Sharpe has looked electric in his first season. At just 19 years old, he has appeared in 67 games while shooting a strong 47.4 percent from the field and throwing down highlight-reel dunks. His future is very bright; he can either grow into a star with the Blazers or be used to acquire a star in the offseason.
Cronin’s 2023 deadline deal is looking better every day
At the time, many fans were disappointed that the Blazers’ trade deadline splash this season was the acquisitions of Matisse Thybulle and Cam Reddish. With each game, though, this trade looks better and better for the Blazers as they retool (once again) with their eyes set on next season.
Cronin managed to turn Josh Hart’s expiring contract into Reddish, Thybulle, and a 2023 lottery-protected first-round pick via the New York Knicks.
In increased minutes, both Reddish and Thybulle have shown the potential to be solid contributors for the Blazers. Reddish has started at the three position in all but two of his games in Portland and is shooting well while providing the length that the Blazers needed.
In minutes where Lillard and Simons are off the court, he’s been able to step in as the primary ballhandler with some success. Thybulle has played his two-time Second-Team All-NBA level defense while shooting respectable clips from all over the court.
The 2023 first-round pick looks like it will come to fruition as Hart has helped the Knicks rise in the standings. It’s looking more and more likely that the Blazers will end up with two first-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, giving them plenty of trade options when on the search for a superstar.