The Portland Trail Blazers may soon have to decide which players to protect with an expansion draft looking more likely than ever. They faced a similar predicament in 1989, when they ultimately lost center Steve Johnson to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, that worked out in Portland's favor, as Johnson went on to be one of the biggest NBA expansion draft busts.
Josh Cornelissen of Lake Show Life recently named the best players lost by each team in the expansion draft, with Johnson being that player for Portland. Although Johnson was an All-Star during his time with Portland, Cornelissen named him as a candidate for 'worst players in history to make an All-Star team.'
"Just one year later, the Blazers didn't protect him in the 1989 expansion draft and he was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He would be out of the league two years later."
Kevin Duckworth's emergence made Steve Johnson expendable
The Blazers traded former No. 1 overall pick Mychal Thompson to the San Antonio Spurs for Johnson. Portland's big man curse got to Sam Bowie, who suffered yet another broken leg. That opened the door for Johnson and ultimately led to his All-Star selection in 1988, though he wasn't able to play in the game due to injuries of his own.
History repeated itself as Johnson's injuries opened the door for Kevin Duckworth, who went on to become one of the best Blazers of all time, carving out an underrated career. Duckworth won Most Improved Player in 1988, and with Portland's double-big experiment proving ineffective, Johnson suddenly became expendable.
Due to poor roster balance, the Blazers underwhelmed in 1988-89, leading to head coach Mike Schuler being replaced by Rick Adelman midseason. Johnson went to Minnesota that summer, and a retooled roster under Adelman led to an immediate NBA Finals appearance the following season. The Blazers' franchise and Johnson's career were on different trajectories at that point, further validating their decision not to protect someone who was recently an All-Star.
Portland should consider this, as they potentially face another expansion draft in the coming years. Although some players may be providing immediate production this season, they must look ahead and consider how these pieces best fit together going forward. Up-and-coming players could quickly make others expendable as they prove worthy of an increased role.
Sometimes the best moves are additions by subtraction. We most recently saw that with Deandre Ayton's buyout, a decision that contributed to Donovan Clingan's breakout season.