The Portland Trail Blazers have a lot of directions they could take this pivotal offseason, but they shouldn't overcomplicate things. They already have a promising starting five forming between:
- PG: Scoot Henderson
- SG: Shaedon Sharpe
- SF: Toumani Camara
- PF: Deni Avdija
- C: Donovan Clingan
How can the Blazers make this a reality?
This summer, they need to make trades to clear the runway so that these five players can start to enter the 2025-26 season. However, that's easier said than done, as Portland would have to move Anfernee Simons, Deandre Ayton, and Jerami Grant to make this a reality.
Finding a suitor for Simons should be easy, with the Orlando Magic already being linked as a landing spot. Despite his looming contract extension, other teams should also be interested, as Simons is a top 99 NBA player just entering his prime.
Trading Ayton will be more challenging... but not impossible. What makes him a movable asset is that his $35.5 million salary is set to expire after this upcoming season. Including Toumani Camara as part of the Blazers' trade is the only thing keeping that from being a disaster, as Ayton has largely been underwhelming in his two years in Rip City, especially relative to his contract.
The Jerami Grant roadblock
Grant is where this ideal starting lineup hits a roadblock. He's still owed north of $100 million over the next three seasons and coming off a down year where he averaged 14.4 points while shooting 37.3 percent from the field. His massive contract, declining production, and the new CBA make trading him extremely difficult, but the Blazers may find someone willing to absorb Grant's contract.
Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes named Grant an ambitious trade target for the Charlotte Hornets, with the idea being that they need to prioritize their long-term outlook and be willing to take on bad contracts with draft capital attached. Another team that makes sense is the Brooklyn Nets, who only have $63.5 million tied up so far in their 2025-26 roster.
But even if the Blazers don't find a trade partner, Chauncey Billups will have a tough but necessary decision to make: bench Grant.
The Blazers have already established core pieces with a frontcourt trio of Camara, Avdija, and Clingan. That's their identity going forward as a versatile and defensive-minded team. But you could make a case that their young core's ceiling depends on their backcourt of Henderson and Sharpe.
Guards typically take longer to adjust to the NBA, and the Blazers have two with All-Star-level ceilings they recently invested top-ten picks in. With a team needing backcourt clarity and star power, it would be wise to prioritize them.