The Portland Trail Blazers have had an up-and-down start to 2025. They've looked much better compared to the beginning of the season. But, as is typically the case with a rebuilding team, they continue to struggle with inconsistent play. This year alone, they've already had losing streaks of four and five games. They've also had winning streaks of four, six, and three games. Such is life as the second-youngest team in the NBA.
Portland has a 26-33 record and is 4.5 games back from the ten-seeded Sacramento Kings with 23 games remaining. The Blazers put themselves in a precarious spot. They seem set on competing for the play-in tournament. But is that the right move?
This is technically only the second year of the Blazers' rebuild. But some consider it the fourth if you account for them shutting things down toward the end of the Damian Lillard era. Blazers fans may not want to hear this, but they should shut it down yet again to improve their draft odds.
The Trail Blazers should continue to tank
The Blazers currently have the tenth-worst record in the league, which, if the season ended today, would be good for just a three percent chance of landing Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick. At this point, they are almost too far gone to commit to a full-on tank. We would have preferred Portland to lose more games this season and prioritize the growing pains of their young core to do so.
Although their chances of landing the top pick remain slim regardless of how many games they lose for the remainder of the season, Portland still has an opportunity to land within the top four. Currently, they have just a 13.9 percent chance of that being the case, with a 65.9 percent chance of their pick being No. 10 overall.
Ideally, they do everything they can to land one of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey, all of whom have a realistic shot at being an eventual All-Star in the NBA. But even if they don't land one of those three, Baylor's V. J. Edgecombe or Illinois' Kasparas Jakučionis would be excellent consolation prizes at No. 4.
Portland still does not have a superstar. They are gradually improving as their young core continues to develop, but this roster has a ceiling. The play-in push, as exciting as it may be, is a short-sighted goal. If the Blazers want to become true title contenders, they should continue to tank.