The Portland Trail Blazers' stunning trade for Ja Morant addressed their backcourt uncertainty in the aggregate. There are question marks surrounding Morant's decline, Damian Lillard's return to form, and overall inconsistency between Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
It's a strange situation, considering Portland invested in the backcourt with the first two top-ten picks of this rebuild. Fortunately, they've made up for that with bold trades that have paid off, solidifying their frontcourt so that they are able to turn their attention to the backcourt.
It was becoming apparent last season that Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan were Portland's building blocks, and that has only been further confirmed after seeing how GM Joe Cronin has navigated this offseason.
Deni Avdija
Portland's first All-Star since Damian Lillard, who also happens to be on arguably the best deal in the NBA -- there's no reason for the Blazers to overthink this one.
Avdija has become the face of this entire rebuild, and the only case against considering him a building block would be to sell high after stealing him from the Washington Wizards. It's reasonable to expect a statistical decline next season as Portland takes the ball out of his hands more with a revamped backcourt. But with that backcourt logjam, the Blazers' remaining forward pieces are even more valuable.
Eventually, they still need to find a legitimate 1a piece, as the playoffs proved Avdija isn't the go-to option on a contender. Still, they never would've been in the postseason in the first place had it not been for his star ascension.
Toumani Camara
Blazers' new head coach, Micah Nori, has a difficult starting lineup decision to make, which could entail one of Toumani Camara or Jrue Holiday coming off the bench if the offense-minded Morant-Lillard start together.
Regardless of whether Camara ultimately starts, he's become more important than ever for this Blazers roster. Their defensive identity has gone down the drain by bringing in Morant, and they desperately need to retain Camara in the coming seasons to maintain some semblance of roster balance.
Hopefully he can become a more consistent three-point shooter. But even given his defensive impact and consistent availability, Camara should already be considered a building block in Portland.
Donovan Clingan
Donovan Clingan's second-year breakout not only justified Portland's decision to buy out Deandre Ayton but also solidified his place as a long-term starting center. While that makes the Yang Hansen draft gamble the following year even more puzzling, it's encouraging that the Blazers managed to come away with a building block with the No. 7 overall pick in what was a weak 2024 draft class.
Similar to Camara, Portland needs to keep its elite defensive anchor around for the foreseeable future to help compensate for what is now an undersized, offense-minded backcourt. His rebounding and rim protection are key to Portland winning the possession battle -- a formula that should hopefully be easier to implement now that they have more playmakers and ball handlers within their guard logjam.
That gives Clingan a high floor as is, but he also has an underrated ceiling as a stretch five if he's able to unlock his offensive arsenal. If Portland does continue its star hunt after bringing in Morant, Clingan and these versatile wings should be considered off limits.
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