A roster reshape was expected this summer, but maybe not quite to this extent. The Portland Trail Blazers finally made the Damian Lillard trade, sending their long-time point guard to the Milwaukee Bucks. General manager Joe Cronin then turned around and made another significant deal, this time in the form of a Jrue Holiday trade.
All told, Cronin turned Lillard, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Jusuf Nurkic into Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon and Toumani Camara, along with three future first-round picks and a pair of potential first-round pick swaps.
A discussion about the picks is for another day, but Ayton, Williams and Brogdon will be part of a dramatically different rotation for head coach Chauncey Billups.
But just exactly how different will it look?
Portland Trail Blazers starters, rotation after Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday trades
With a different Blazers roster come different Blazers starters. Billups will have more options at his disposal this season as opposed to last, especially considering Portland’s expectations. Without a mad dash to find the right balance around Lillard and an all-out desperation to make the playoffs, Chauncey will be able to tinker with different lineups throughout the year.