The Portland Trail Blazers' lone franchise championship came in 1977, but they've quietly had a surprising role to play in recent victors. They most notably shipped Jrue Holiday to Boston as the missing piece to get the Celtics over the top in 2024.
This offseason, it may have been the move they didn't make.
LeBron James surprisingly signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in what he deemed to be his final decision, citing basketball reasons as he believes he can still compete for a championship with them at an impressive 41 years old.
Philadelphia didn't even appear to be seriously in the running for the LeBron sweepstakes until they managed to steal Jaylen Brown from the rival Boston Celtics -- a decision that looks even worse from Boston's standpoint now that it led to James joining forces with Brown.
But the Celtics weren't the only ones with a league-altering and historical impact on this decision, as it was also the Blazers' indecision to pursue Brown.
Blazers had a chance to change history this summer
Portland had previously expressed interest in Brown, and certainly had the assets required to land him, especially after seeing how relatively little he went for in the deal with Philadelphia.
The Blazers ultimately decided to stand pat after landing Ja Morant as their "big splash" instead, with it later coming out that they were concerned with the analytics surrounding Brown's game. Not that he's a bad player, but it takes a special type of talent to justify being paid $57 million this upcoming season, and Portland wasn't convinced it was worth the assets.
It already seemed like a steal for Philadelphia to come away with a 2024 Finals MVP still in his prime for just Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. In retrospect, it's sort of like the George blockbuster with the Los Angeles Clippers, which turned out to be a package deal to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency.
Fortunately for the 76ers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't involved in this one. But when you look at it through the lens of their Brown trade ultimately leading to somehow landing James on a team-friendly deal, it looks even more like a steal.
How Portland is at a roster-building disadvantage
It's not quite the same comparison for Portland. The Blazers, even with Brown, would never be contenders for James. That goes to show the disadvantage GM Joe Cronin is at when it comes to roster building for a smaller market.
Still, the way this entire offseason has played out, capped off by James' decision to take his talents to the City of Brotherly Love, goes to show the unique role Portland has in these superstar decisions around the league.
Earlier this offseason, they were even connected to the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga, given their leverage from the Bucks' picks acquired in the Damian Lillard deal. It's encouraging that Portland is relevant in terms of its role to play, but it's also frustrating that they keep missing out on these stars to elevate themselves to contention.
Hopefully that happens in the coming seasons, as those Bucks picks could finally give the Blazers a path to coming away with a superstar of their own.
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