Damian Lillard must be thrilled that he came back to the Portland Trail Blazers. He is unlikely to see action in the playoffs. However, once he steps foot on the court in the 2026-27 campaign, he will be gifted with one of the deepest rosters he has had in Portland.
Throughout Lillard's first stint with the Blazers, he has had supporting casts that included All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, an All-Star-caliber backcourt partner in CJ McCollum, and mostly role players.
Looking back, we can see how elite a player Lillard used to be. He guided the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances and even led a starting five of himself, McCollum, Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Enes Kanter Freedom to a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2019.
Blazers, finally a playoff squad again
It will be interesting to watch how Dame will fit in with the current core highlighted by a potential perennial All-Star in Deni Avdija, a big man who can change the game on both ends of the court in Donovan Clingan, a rising 3-and-D star in Toumani Camara, and a youngster who can average at least 20 points a game in Shaedon Sharpe.
Veterans Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, and Robert Williams III have also been impactful, while former No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson has shown signs of promise recently.
Even with Lillard sidelined, the Blazers managed to finish the regular season with a winning record and end a four-year playoff drought. They needed to go through the Play-In Tournament, sure. But they passed the test against the Phoenix Suns and will be looking to upset the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Barely anyone outside Portland is giving the team a chance against Victor Wembanyama, who can help neutralize two of its biggest strengths. Still, the playoff experience should only benefit the Blazers' foundational players in the long run.
Roster reinforcement should be coming in the summer
Despite what should be deemed as a successful campaign, especially after all the adversity the Blazers have had to face, they are still arguably missing a piece or two before they can make a leap to serious playoff contender status.
This coming offseason should provide them with opportunities to bolster the roster. They are heading into draft night without a first-round pick, as reaching the playoffs meant finally conveying the first-rounder they owe to the Chicago Bulls. The Blazers could trade back into the first round, but that could be too costly.
So, any upgrade will likely have to come through a trade or free agency. Maybe stealing a possibly disgruntled superstar like Kawhi Leonard or another similar move could be in the pipeline.
But even if a major splash isn't coming Rip City's way, the return of Lillard should still give the team a boost. Will that, along with maybe some incremental moves, suffice to make the Blazers a championship contender? Only time will tell. But it should be good enough for them to at least make some noise in the Western Conference.
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