10 Worst Portland Trail Blazers moves of the Joe Cronin era

The Portland Trail Blazers have a massive decision to make in the coming months. Superstar Damian Lillard has requested a trade, and the franchise must maximize their return if they want to quickly jump back into contention. Dame is still one of the best players in the league, but can Joe Cronin and the front office get enough back in return to make the deal worthwhile?

Cronin has been the team’s general manager and lead decision-maker since Dec. of 2021, but he has been with the franchise since 2006. He was named Director of Player Personnel in 2014 and promoted to assistant general manager in 2021 just before Neil Olshey was fired. Cronin became interim GM after Olshey’s exit and the team dropped the interim tag in May of 2022.

Cronin has been involved in a lot of key decisions since joining the Trail Blazers. Some of the team’s worst have come after he took over the top role. Portland has made plenty of regrettable moves since Cronin was promoted in 2014, but which are the worst?

Worst Portland Trail Blazers moves of the Joe Cronin era

10. Bob Cov trade

In 2020, the Blazers traded Trevor Ariza and two first-round picks to the Houston Rockets to get Robert Covington. Ariza was past his prime and traded three times over five days before landing with the Thunder. OKC sent him to the Heat four months later in what turned out to be his second to last season.

Covington was a valued commodity, but was he worth two first-round picks? He played a key role for the Blazers in 2021 but was shipped out at the 2022 trade deadline in a regrettable deal for Portland that features later in this countdown.

The Portland Trail Blazers paid a massive price to get Robert Covington and traded him 16 months later for significantly less. Covington’s defense slipped a bit in Rip City as he began to decline, and the franchise likely wishes they never acquired him.