The Portland Trail Blazers had their first practice on Tuesday, which reportedly opened with two goals for the 2026-27 season. Here were the two goals Toumani Camara shared, courtesy of Conor Bergin of Blazer's Edge on X:
- 50-plus wins
- Home-court advantage in the playoffs
The Blazers exceeded expectations last season, finishing with a 42-40 record and securing a seventh seed under interim head coach Tiago Splitter. Now they're seeking to secure at least eight more wins this year to avoid the play-in entirely.
Blazers look to join second-tier of Western Conference teams
It's certainly a talent upgrade compared to last season's roster. Portland welcomes back Damian Lillard, while also adding Ja Morant, Micah Potter, Branden Carlson, and Jeremy Sochan into the mix this offseason. That said, a top-four seed in the stacked Western Conference is an ambitious goal, even with the moves Joe Cronin made this offseason.
Barring injury, the top two seeds are likely the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, who still enter the season as the league's two best teams, even as the New York Knicks look to defend the throne.
Then there's Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to worry about, as well as a Minnesota Timberwolves team that brings in LaMelo Ball as a co-star for Anthony Edwards. Even the recamped Los Angeles Lakers finally make sense on paper for the first time, surrounding Luka Doncic with complementary pieces.
The Blazers finally have the star power to be in the conversation with this second tier of teams in the Western Conference. Still, it's a far more questionable fit with Morant compared to other offseason upgrades around the conference.
Blazers have ambitious goals under Micah Nori
Ball finally gives Minnesota that point guard to pair with Edwards; Doncic has that big man he loves to have at his disposal in Walker Kessler. The Nuggets are getting healthier and always have a puncher's chance with the best player in the world. The Blazers have... a former All-Star in Ja Morant?
The star's name is far more significant than the trade itself in this case. Morant unfortunately hasn't been that All-Star version of himself for quite some time, with injuries derailing his career trajectory. At least Damian Lillard's anticipated return will help alleviate some of those concerns about Morant's floor spacing for a team that ranked near the bottom of the league in three-point efficiency.
It's an ambitious goal that I ultimately don't think the Blazers will reach because the top of the Western Conference got so much stronger this summer. Portland got stronger too, but it's far more difficult to make sense of the fit.
If Nori can figure out how to squeeze the most talent out of this roster, they could belong in that tier. Then again, that's a big if, and it could even come back to hurt Nori through unrealistic expectations. He only has one year guaranteed on his contract, and asking a first-year head coach to secure a top-four seed in the West with a murky-fitting roster is a steep task.
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