3 Ex-Trail Blazers who are thriving with other teams in 2024-25

The Portland Trail Blazers already have a long list of players they gave up on too soon, including Jermaine O'Neal, Anthony Mason, and Fat Lever, among others. Now, they may have to add to that list, given the stellar play of these three players so far this season. To the Blazers' credit, even in retrospect, it wouldn't have made sense to keep the majority of these players around because they didn't fit their rebuilding timeline. However, there are still mixed emotions involved when seeing these former Blazers doing so well in their new roles.

No. 1: Norman Powell, Clippers

Norman Powell spent two seasons in Portland from 2020 to 2022. He's always been known as an electrifying and perhaps underrated scorer but has taken it to another level in 2024-25 with the Los Angeles Clippers.

With Paul George's offseason departure and Kawhi Leonard's ongoing right knee inflammation, the Clippers desperately need others besides James Harden to step up as go-to scorers, and Powell has done just that. He's averaging 23.3 points, which is a team-high this season for the Clippers and a career-high for Powell. He's been red hot as a shooter, making 49 percent of his shots from both the field and from beyond the arc.

No. 2: Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers

Another former Blazer turned Clipper playing exceptionally well is Derrick Jones Jr., who is having a career year so far with his new team. He's averaging 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 50/43/86 shooting splits. His points and three-point percentage are both career highs.

Given his elite athleticism and shooting rate, he's become an extremely valuable role player for the Clippers, who are suddenly short on wings. They signed Jones to a three-year, $30 million deal this past summer, which is looking like tremendous value early on.

No. 3: Josh Hart, Knicks

The Blazers were wise to trade Hart as he had a player option and was likely going to opt out and test free agency. Still, they likely could have gotten more in exchange, as Kris Murray is the only player (it was a first-round pick at the time) from the deal remaining on the Blazers; this is becoming increasingly more apparent given how much Hart has thrived in New York.

This season, he's averaging 14.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. The points are the second-highest of his career, while the assists and rebounds are the best of his career. He's also scoring at an incredibly efficient rate, 60.5 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three. That sounds like a player who is worth more than just a late first-round pick and essentially a bunch of throw-in pieces.